Learn More About Ancient Rome

As we move ahead in Familia Romana, you will learn a lot about the culture of ancient Rome (as well as the Latin language) by reading the stories in the textbook about the members of the Iulius household. Some of you, however, are already getting a little impatient to learn more about the culture, so here are some reading suggestions that may interest you:

• Read histories by Roman writers, such as Livy's History of Rome (which I've referred to in class) or Sallust's history of the Conspiracy by Catilina to bring down the Roman republic.
• If you have trouble telling the difference between the ancient Romans and the Greeks, you might want to read some of Plutarch's Parallel Lives, biographies of Greek leaders and their nearest Roman counterparts, in which Plutarch compares two similar leaders and judges which of them was greater. There is also one edition that includes just the six biographies of Roman statesmen who put in motion the events that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic (later reconstituted by Caesar Augustus as the Roman Empire).
• Read modern novels that accurately reflect and bring to life Roman culture. On my reading blog, I am currently discussing three series of murder mysteries currently available, which not only tell great stories but also bring to life ancient Roman culture. I can particularly recommend the SPQR mystery novels by John Maddox Roberts for illuminating Roman life and historical events in the day of Cicero and Julius Caesar, and the (quite funny) Marcus Didius Falco mysteries by Lindsey Davis, for giving entertaing glimpse into popular culture in the days of the emperor Vespasian and his sons, Titus and Domitian. Both of these series are not only highly entertaining but also give a fairly accurate view of Roman life in the periods they describe. I can also recommend the historical novels of Robert Harris, including his Pompeii, which takes place the day Mt Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79.
• If you are interested in the intersection of life in Rome and the early Christian church, there are some novels that illustrate this pretty well. For instance, Quo Vadis, the story of a Roman tribune who falls in love with a young Christian woman during the time of Nero. You'll learn a lot about the trials and heroism of Christians at a time when they were being violently persecuted and martyred. You might also like some of the biographical novels by Louis Wohl that deal with early Roman Christians, such as his The Restless Flame: A Novel About Saint Augustine or The Living Wood: Saint Helena and the Emperor Constantine