The ''SPQR'' series is a series of

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

stories by John Maddox Roberts, published between 1990 and 2010, and set in the final years of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

. SPQR (the original title of the first book, until the sequels came out) is a Latin

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for '' Senatus Populusque Romanus'' ("The Roman Senate and People"), the official name of the Republic. The stories are told in first-person form by Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger (born c 90-95 BC), nephew of Metellus Pius and member of the powerful Caecilius Metellus family of the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

. The stories are told in flashback-form by the old Decius, writing during the reign of

Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. The stories range from 70 BC (''The King's Gambit'') to 20 BC ("The King of Sacrifices"), and have both an exciting and comedic tone. Decius' companions include his slaves Cato, Cassandra, and Hermes; his friends, the Greek

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

ial physician Asklepiodes and the gangster/politician

Titus Annius Milo Titus Annius Milo (died 48 BC) was a Roman political agitator. The son of Gaius Papius Celsus, he was adopted by his maternal grandfather, Titus Annius Luscus. In 52 BC, he was prosecuted for the murder of Publius Clodius Pulcher and exiled from ...

; and his staunch enemies, the siblings

Clodia Clodius is an alternate form of the Roman '' nomen'' Claudius, a patrician ''gens'' that was traditionally regarded as Sabine in origin. The alternation of ''o'' and ''au'' is characteristic of the Sabine dialect. The feminine form is Clodia. Re ...

and Clodius. Along the way, he is often helped by his father, as well as by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

and a young

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

. In later books, Decius is betrothed and then married to the (fictional) niece of Caesar, Julia Caesaris. The dates are all listed at the end of each book in the ''

ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an ex ...

'' calendar system. In 2015, a German company had planned to adapt the series for TV, however, they have withdrawn from the project in 2022 for financial reasons.

Novels

#''The King's Gambit'': In 70 BC, Decius uncovers a plot to subvert

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingd ...

' army in the war against Mithridates #''The Catiline Conspiracy'' (63–62 BC): Decius uncovers

Catiline Lucius Sergius Catilina ( 108 BC – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier. He is best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to violently seize control of the ...

's plot to overthrow the

Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

. #''The Sacrilege'' (62–61 BC): Decius investigates Clodius's desecration of the

Bona Dea Bona Dea (; 'Good Goddess') was a goddess in ancient Roman religion. She was associated with chastity and fertility in Roman women, healing, and the protection of the state and people of Rome. According to Roman literary sources, she was brought ...

rites. #''

The Temple of the Muses ''The Temple of the Muses'' is a novel by John Maddox Roberts. It is the fourth volume of Roberts's SPQR series, featuring Senator Decius Metellus. Plot summary 60 BC: Decius Metellus the Younger accompanies his relative Quintus Caecilius Metell ...

'' (60 BC): While visiting

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, Decius investigates the murder of a philosopher at its famous library. #''Saturnalia'' (59 BC): Decius investigates the murder of his kinsman Metellus Celer. #''Nobody Loves a Centurion'' (58 BC): Decius investigates the murder of a

centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...

of the 10th Legion at the start of the

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...

. #''

The Tribune's Curse ''The Tribune's Curse'' is a novel by John Maddox Roberts. It is the seventh volume of Roberts's SPQR series, featuring Senator Decius Metellus. Plot summary 55 BC: Senator Decius Metellus the Younger is happy for once: he is in Rome, having b ...

'' (55 BC): Decius investigates the murder of a

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...

who curses

Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome." Wallechinsky, David & Wallace, I ...

on his way to

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

. #''The River God's Vengeance'' (53 BC): Decius investigates a collapsed insula, uncovering systematic fraud in the construction trade. #''The Princess and the Pirates'' (51 BC): Decius investigates the murder of his host, the Roman governor of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

, while on the island to deal with an upsurge in

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

. The eponymous princess is the young

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

of Egypt. #'' A Point of Law'' (51–50 BC): While running for election to the office of

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

, Decius must deal with accusations that he murdered a man who had threatened to denounce him for actions he took while on Cyprus the previous year. #''Under Vesuvius'': In 50 BC, while touring

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

as praetor peregrinus, Decius investigates a murder near Mount

Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...

. #''Oracle of the Dead'' (50 BC). As praetor peregrinus, Decius investigates the murders of a group of priests of Apollo during the period just before Caesar crosses the Rubicon. #''The Year of Confusion'' (46–45 BC): During Caesar's

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...

, Decius is commissioned to oversee the adoption of Caesar's

new calendar Calendar reform or calendrical reform is any significant revision of a calendar system. The term sometimes is used instead for a proposal to switch to a different calendar design. Principles The prime objective of a calendar is to unambiguo ...

, and investigates the murders of several astronomers who developed it. #''Dolabella'' (forthcoming)

Short stories

The series also includes the following short stories, in chronological order: *"The Statuette of Rhodes" (60 BC): Decius finds a corpse at the base of the

Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes ( grc, ὁ Κολοσσὸς Ῥόδιος, ho Kolossòs Rhódios gr, Κολοσσός της Ρόδου, Kolossós tes Rhódou) was a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek is ...

. *"Mightier Than the Sword" (53 BC): Decius investigates the murder of a victim found in the basement of a townhouse in Rome. *"The Etruscan House" (52 BC): Decius investigates a senator's murder. *"An Academic Question" (51 BC): Decius investigates a murder during his visit to Athens mentioned as part of his leisurely trip to Cyprus at the beginning of "The Princess and the Pirates" *"Venus in Pearls" (46 BC): Caesar hires Decius to locate his stolen breastplate before his Pompeian triumph *"Beware the Snake" (45 BC): Decius must locate the missing sacred snake of the

Marsi The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century). The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. D ...

. *"The Will" (44 BC): Decius investigates Caesar's will following his

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

. *"The King of Sacrifices" (20 BC): An elderly Decius investigates the death of a candidate for

Rex Sacrorum In ancient Roman religion, the ''rex sacrorum'' ("king of the sacred things", also sometimes ''rex sacrificulus'') was a senatorial priesthood reserved for patricians. Although in the historical era, the '' pontifex maximus'' was the head of R ...

Roberts also wrote a short story, "The Mountain Wolves", which is also set in ancient Rome, but is not part of the SPQR series.Published in ''Classical Stories: Heroic Tales from Ancient Greece and Rome'' (1996), edited by Mike Ashley, .

Chronology

The above dates are approximate because there is contradictory information within the texts. *For instance, in ''The Sacrilege'', which can be dated at 62 BC, Decius claims to be turning 29, indicating he was born in 91 BC; however, in ''

'', he finds that he was born in the same year as Marcus Porcius Cato (95 BC). Confusingly, however, in the same book, Cato claims to have been born "when Valerius and Herennius were consuls.", which was 93 BC. *In "The King of Sacrifices", dated at 20 BC, Decius claims to be in his 73rd year, indicating he was born in either 93 or 92 BC. However, in the story itself Julia is claimed to be "betrothed" to Agrippa, whom she married 21 BC, i.e. at least one year earlier. *The AUC dates given in ''The Sacrilege'', ''The Temple of the Muses'' and "The Statuette of Rhodes" are clearly erroneous. **The Sacrilege has a clear external date and there is a strong indication that "Statuette" takes place in the same year as ''Saturnalia''. *Roberts has noted that events in ''The Year of Confusion'' have been modified for dramatic effect.

References

{{Reflist Fictional depictions of Julius Caesar in literature Historical novels by series Mystery novels by series Novels set in ancient Rome Fictional depictions of Cleopatra in literature Cultural depictions of Catiline Cultural depictions of Marcus Licinius Crassus Cultural depictions of Pompey Cultural depictions of Publius Clodius Pulcher Fictional depictions of Augustus in literature Historical mystery novels

Novels

Short stories

Chronology

See also

References