Pox Romana: The Plague That Shook the Roman World

Elliott, Colin. Pox Romana: The Plague That Shook the Roman World. 2024. 328p. ISBN 9780691219158. 

Rome has a long an dramatic history as a city that conquered the world and imposed its rule from Britain to Arabia, and from Germany to north Africa. The death of Julius Caesar destroyed what remained of the Roman Republic, and the civil wars that ensued ended when Augustus ascended the throne. For 150 years, rulers came and went, Romans fought each other, but the Roman Empire kept on expanding, imposing a set of common laws, measures, and, to some extent, a shared language. By the 170s, Rome was at its zenith.

But the timid peace imposed by Roman arms, known as Pax Romana, was shattered by the arrival of a strange disease that affected the young and the old, as most diseases do, but also healthy adults, especially soldiers. The Antonine plague, as this disease was known, spread like wild fire, much like the Black Plague would a millenium later, devastating entire cities and regions. Combined with a decade-long famine due to climatic conditions in Egypt, the equilibrium that maintained Rome at the top of the ancient Western world came tumbling down, and though the Roman world endured for another 300 years, the Empire was never able to regain its footing and glory.

Looking through historical evidence to determine what this disease could have been, the Antonine plague was most likely the world's first pandemic, affecting the globe from China to Britain and into Africa. Over the course of five or six years, the plague wound its way through the Roman world, destroying legions, savaging the economy, and exposing that the Roman foundation of prosperity and peace rested on quickly shifting sand. Examining reports from the era, and reconstructing the history of the times, Pox Romana convincingly argues that the first pandemic started the inexorable decline and fall of the Roman Empire, but that this process was hastened by conditions that existed prior to the arrival of the pandemic.

Fans of history and of the Roman Empire will appreciate the scope and breath of Pox Romana and will explore a time where, at the height of its power, the Empire was already collapsing from within.

Rise of the Wolf

Nielsen, Jennifer. Rise of the Wolf. Book 2 of the Mark of the Thief series. 2016. 352p. ISBN 9780545562041. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

While Nic and his younger sister Livia now live in Rome, away from the slave mines where he was forced to work in The Mark of the Thief, dangers continue to surround him as his grandfather, General Radulf, moves forward with his plan to destroy the Roman Empire from within, using cunning and magic. However, Radulf's enemies, the Praetors, are themselves on the move, and they seek to awaken the Mistress, a Vestal virgin who was buried alive after betraying Julius Caesar three hundred years ago. She possesses a powerful magical artifact that can then be used to craft a Jupiter stone, delivering power to their faction. Their ultimate goal is to help the goddess Diana overthrow the gods and, by extension, Rome.

Despite his misgivings and his fraught relationship with Aurelia and his grandfather, Nic finds he has no choice but to help the Praetors, for they hold his mother captive. Short on time and ideas, Nic makes one more bargain with their leader, Brutus. In four days' time, there will be a chariot race, and Nic will compete against whomever the Praetors want to send against them. If he wins, they will leave him alone, free his mother, and never seek to use his magical abilities again. If he loses, he agrees to go with them and sacrifice himself to create the Jupiter stone.

With his life and that of his friends and family, yet alone the fate of Rome, in the balance, Nic is about to discover whether his magic is powerful enough to defeat an ancient threat ...

Dark Shores

Jensen, Danielle. Dark Shores. Book 1 of the Dark Shores series. 2019. 368p. ISBN 9781250317728. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

The Maarin people are seafarers who travel up and down the coast of the Celendor Empire, a continent-wide conquering power. Backed by its powerful legions, the Senate leads with an iron fist. Only the Maarins, who transport valuable goods between distant locations, are exempted from the harsh rules that apply to all Cel citizens, such as taxes and the giving up of the second boy of every family to the legions.

Teriana lives on the Quincense, her mother’s ship. As second in command of the ship, she is also heir to one of the three leaders of the Maarins. When their ship arrives in the capital in time for the election of the next Consul, she realizes that all is not well in Celendor. Two full legions have gathered on the outskirts as one of the candidates plans a power play.

Marcus commands one of the two legions, the 37th. This is the Empire’s blood-thirstiest legion and is known to have massacred a whole island, enslaving over 160,000 people and glutting the slave markets. Cassius, one of the senators running for the post of Consul, blackmails him into voting for him with his entire legion otherwise he will reveal Marcus’ secret of being an ill first son who was swapped in favor of his  younger brother. Not wanting to bring ruin to his family, Marcus agrees.

Cassius then proposes to send Marcus, his legion and the 41st to the other side of the world on Maarin ships. The Maarins, much like Marcus, have secrets they wish to hide, and one of them is that their trade routes take them to another vast continent across the ocean. They protect this secret with their lives, but a mistake on Teriana’s part has revealed this information to Cassius, who now wishes to direct imperial forces to seize these new lands.

A pariah to her own people, Teriana is forced to act as a guide to Marcus and take his forces across a watery magical way to a continent where people still believe in gods and where these very gods play an active role in the lives of their people. With secrets upon secrets, Teriana and Marcus become involved in a deadly dance where they both need each other to survive the journey and free the Maarins, but only at the cost of enslaving a whole continent....

Living and Working in Ancient Rome

Randolph, Joanne, ed. Living and Working in Ancient Rome. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-0-7660-8975-4. Available at 937 LIV on the library shelves.

For a thousand years, Rome stood at the center of one of the largest empires in the history of the world. It was both the political and spiritual capital of a territory stretching from Britain and Spain the northwest to Egypt and Mesopotamia in the southeast. As the center of imperial life, Rome strove to outshine all other cities. The lives of its famous residents are well documented, but what about the average citizen who did not own slaves and lived on a private estate?

This book presents details about how the more than one million people lived in and around Rome at the height of its imperial glory. Most Romans males worked providing services, selling things, or had jobs in factories or in construction. Women stayed at home, ran the household, educated children, and entertained guests. Roman diets consisted mainly of bread, with cheese and a little meat when affordable, but also often included olives and figs. For entertainment, Romans enjoyed gladiator combat or chariot races. Roman children played in the streets and sometimes attended school, if their parents were wealthy enough to afford it. They had toys such as wooden dolls and horses, toy swords and shields, dice, and carved stones and clay figurines.

Over the years Emperors spent tremendous resources embellishing Rome, and making life easier for its citizens. Buildings like temples and baths, and infrastructures like sewers and aqueducts were designed to improve the quality of life of the residents of Rome. These buildings are also explored in this book.

Fans of history will appreciate the research and details included in this book, and will appreciate that though almost 2,000 years separate us, the ancient Romans led a similar life to ours today.

Constantine

Baum, Margaux and Julian Morgan. Constantine. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7252-9. Available at B CON on the library shelves.

A century of civil strife in Rome had led to the Empire’s weakening. The separation of the Roman Empire in two sections, each ruled by an Augustus and a Caesar, caused further destabilization. When Constantine finally ascended the throne after putting down challenges from several other contenders to the title of Emperor, he reunited the Roman world under the leadership of one man. A military genius, Constantine set out to reform the Empire by reorganizing its military and its civilian structures. Keen to avoid further bloodshed, Constantine created a plan to ensure an orderly succession when the time came.

Attracted to Christianity, either through belief or through seeing the advantages that membership in the Church would bring, Constantine actively supported Christians and advocated for their protection from persecution. He believed that the structures of the Church could be used to administer large parts of the Roman Empire, and he promoted the Christian faith, making it the Empire’s own.

Constantine had no real love for the city of Rome, and only visited it for the first time after becoming Emperor. With settled and generally peaceful western borders, Constantine decided to create a new capital closer to the Empire’s eastern borders. He settled on the straits of Bosphorus, and called the new city Constantinople (today’s Istanbul).

Despite his efforts, or perhaps because of them, Constantine’s reign led to further division of the Empire and eventually the fall of Rome in 476 C.E, but it can be argued that he saved the Eastern half of the Empire, which continued for another thousand years.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

Hadrian, Emperor of Rome

Santillian, Beatriz and Julian Morgan. Hadrian, Emperor of Rome. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2018. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7484-4. Available at B HAD on the library shelves.

Following a string of bad Roman Emperors, Rome and its citizens were relieved when Trajan took over and brought a period of stability. When Hadrian succeeded Trajan in suspect circumstances, having been declared his adopted son and heir a day before Trajan’s death was announced, many Romans feared that the Empire would fall in civil war. These fears proved unfounded as Hadrian, a skilled soldier and politician, was able to quickly seize power and assert his imperial authority.

Over the next twenty years, Hadrian became the most traveled Roman Emperor. He visited nearly every province, reformed the military, and sponsored large public works in many cities. Several rebellions broke out throughout the Empire, but his generals were able to put them down. An educated man, Hadrian enjoyed his time in Greece, and mastered many subjects. His legacy include buildings in nearly every major city of the Empire, a protective wall separating Roman Britain from Scotland, and a reinvigorated military.

Fans of Rome and of historical figures larger than life will enjoy reading about Hadrian’s travels and accomplishments.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

Nero

Lowery, Zoe and Julian Morgan. Nero. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7256-7. Available at B NER on the library shelves.

Famously known for his evil ways and for fiddling while Rome burned, Nero is a complex character that earned a reputation for wanton violence. However, all that we know of him was written by critics following his death, so there are several questions as to the legitimacy of these claims of villainy against him. There are no questions, however, that his reign as emperor of Rome was plagued with deaths and that the economy suffered as a result.

A descendant of Julius Caesar, Nero was to be the last emperor to be related to Caesar and Augustus. His mother, Agrippina, was a schemer who worked tirelessly so that her son would inherit the throne. When this was finally secured following the death of Claudius, she helped Nero govern. He eventually tired of her, however, and had her poisoned. One of the few restraining hands on his propensity for violence, her removal effectively allowed Nero to do whatever he wanted.

Unlike most Romans, Nero was fascinated by sports and by the arts. He played instruments and engaged in acting, two activities that were considered by upper-class Romans to be undignified. Nero spent time in Greece indulging in these passions, while Rome drifted. He rebuilt Rome following a fire that destroyed most of the city, but he also took several prime properties to build himself a large palace. He persecuted Christians, not for their religious beliefs but for the political expediency of having a group he could scapegoat.

His return to Rome heralded yet more deaths as his critics were either killed off, exiled, or forced to commit suicide. The execution of popular generals led to an open revolt from the army, which marched on Rome. Nero’s lack of military experience, his desire for self-aggrandizing, and his lack of respect for Roman dignity and customs meant that he had no allies when assassins finally came for him. A complicated figure, Nero remains one of the most controversial Roman emperors.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

Augustus

Baum, Margaux and Fiona Forsyth. Augustus. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7242-0. Available at B AUG on the library shelves.

The assassination of Julius Caesar caused a major upheaval in Rome. Two sides quickly coalesced. Caesar’s assassins believed they were doing the will of the Senate, but a triumvirate soon emerged to challenge them in the name of the people of Rome. Mark Anthony, one of Caesar’s generals made a deal with Octavian, Caesar’s great nephew and appointed heir, along with Lepidus. The three of them crushed the assassins’ faction and divided the Roman world among themselves.

Octavian had limited military experience, but was politically savvy and carried the people’s devotion for Caesar. Over the next decade, Octavian would skillfully maneuver himself into the position of first citizen of Rome, effectively achieving what Caesar had not. Through yet another civil war, this time against Mark Anthony, Octavian emerged victorious and in sole command of Rome’s sprawling lands.

Over the next decades, Octavian, who was renamed Augustus by the Senate, implemented a host of reforms to increase the bureaucracy’s efficiency, improve Rome’s military posture, and rebuilt the city of Rome through a massive public works program. He also influenced the morals of Roman society by leading an austere lifestyle. His contributions to Rome set up the pattern for the next three hundred years. As the first Emperor, Augustus remains one of the most famous persons of Antiquity.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire. Part of the Empires in the Middle Ages series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-68048-780-0. Available at 949.5 BYZ on the library shelves.

The Roman Empire’s expanse became ungovernable by one individual, and plans were made to split it into two different, more manageable parts. In the West, Rome eventually fell to barbarians in the 400s. In the East, Constantinople remained the seat of an evolving Roman power for another thousand years. The Byzantine Empire, descending Rome, was more oriented eastward. Its language was Greek, and it followed the Orthodox Church’s teaching instead of Rome’s Catholic Church. It survived as an entity by constantly adapting to its neighbors and by possessing an attractive culture. Its population was multicultural, and it contained numerous religions.

The emergency of Islam on the Empire’s southern borders led to numerous conflicts that continually cost it territories and treasure, and eventually led to its conquest in 1453. Relations with its European neighbors were not much better, with several Crusades diverted to conquer vast sways of the Byzantine Empire. Through it all, however, Constantinople and the Empire radiated culture, providing the world with massive monuments such as the Hagia Sophia. Its mitigated historical impact as the heir of Rome makes the Byzantine Empire an interesting study in the advantages and flaws of a cosmopolitan Empire.

Titles in the Empires in the Middle Ages series include:

• The Crusades
• The Holy Roman Empire
• The Islamic Caliphate
• The Mongol Empire
• The Ottoman Empire

Cleopatra

Lowery, Zoe and Julian Morgan. Cleopatra. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5981-7254-3. Available at B CLE on the library shelves.

Cleopatra is one of the most well-known figure of Antiquity. The last queen and last Pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra was a contemporary of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Augustus, and more than anything else tried to preserve Egypt’s independence in an era where Roman power was spreading throughout the Mediterranean.

Egypt at the time was considered the breadbasket of the world, and produced important surpluses. These were sold throughout the Mediterranean, generating large wealth for the Egyptian rulers. Since Alexander the Great’s conquest, Egypt had been ruled by the Ptolemy dynasty, who descended from one of Alexander’s generals. These Greek rulers did not mix in with the local Egyptian population.

When Cleopatra was born, the country was being squeezed on all sides by Rome’s expansion. Accepting to become a vassal state of the Roman Republic, Cleopatra’s father paid 6,000 talents to the first triumvirate, made up of Caesar, Crassus and Pompey, around 60 BCE. This bought peace between the two states, but when civil war erupted between Pompey and Caesar following the death of Crassus and Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon with his legions, Egypt found itself on the wrong side. By this time Cleopatra had ascended the throne, succeeding her father.

A triumphant Caesar entered Alexandria and was smitten by the Egyptian queen. Their torrid love affair became a scandal in Rome and eventually contributed to Caesar’s downfall. A second triumvirate, made up of Octavian, Caesar’s heir, Mark Anthony, and Lepidus, emerged following the defeat of Caesar’s assassins, and Egypt once again found itself in the middle of a conflict between Roman factions. Unfortunately for Cleopatra, Egypt chose the wrong side, and Octavian’s army forced Cleopatra and Mark Anthony back to Egypt, where they both committed suicide.

Always seeking to protect Egypt from the world, Cleopatra ultimately failed but continues to be remembered for her dedication and powerful personality. Fans of Roman history and of strong women will love reading about the life of the last Pharaoh.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

Julius Caesar

Baum, Margaux and James Thorne. Julius Caesar. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7248-2. Available at B CAE on the library shelves.

No ancient Roman is more well-known than Julius Caesar. Military strategist extraordinaire, a man of letters and a master politician, Julius Caesar remains a controversial figure. Coming from two ancient Roman families, Caesar felt destined for greatness and pursued the experiences necessary to climb the ranks of the Roman Republic. Captured by pirates, he scoffed at their ransom request and demanded they ask for more. His various appointments enabled him to build a base of support among Rome’s populace, while his successful military campaigns in Gaul and elsewhere endeared him to his troops.

Leading several legions, Caesar marched on Rome and fought Pompey’s troops in yet another Roman civil war. Chasing his foe around the Mediterranean, he arrived in Egypt and met Cleopatra. Returning to Rome in triumph following his victories over his enemies, Caesar reformed the calendar, declares himself dictator, and began the transformation of Rome from a Republic to an Empire. However, Rome remained bitterly divided, and Caesar’s many enemies conspired together to assassinate him in the Senate.

This book illustrates Caesar’s amazing life and his oversized ambitions. Fans of Rome and of history will enjoy reading about one of the most famous historical person.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine

The Mark of the Thief

Nielsen, Jennifer A. The Mark of the Thief. Book 1 of the Mark of the Thief series. 2015. 352p. 507 mins. ISBN 978-0-545-56154-9. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

As a lowly mining slave, Nic Calva has no rights. Working the mines is punishing and physically demanding, but at least it keeps Livia, his sister safe. Always looking for an opportunity to escape, or at least cause mischief, Nic does not kindly accept the abuse from his master. When other slaves discover the sealed chamber where Julius Caesar’s treasure was buried, Nic knows it is only a matter of time before Rome’s rich and powerful attempt to seize it. Even though more than three hundred years have passed since Caesar’s death, the magic that was given to him by the gods is still very much present.

General Radulf, head of the Praetorian Guard and commander of the Roman Army comes to the mine to retrieve Caesar’s treasure. He orders Nic to enter the room and retrieve a bulla, an amulet that Caesar would have worn as a child. The two previous slaves that entered the room either died or went insane, so Nic is not keen on doing so. He extracts a promise from Radult that he will take care of Livia. In the cave, Nic is confronted by a griffin, but when he puts the amulet on he suddenly feels the magic that powered Caesar fill his veins, and the griffin stops its attack. He manages to escape the caves, but is recaptured by the slavers and shipped to Rome. During the trip, he is guarded by Aurelia, a surly girl who is an expert with a bow and a knife, but who has no lost love for Rome’s elites.

Once there, Nic realizes that he is at the center of a dramatic power play between General Radulf, who seeks to unseat Emperor Tacitus and destroy Rome from within, and those Senators who are opposed to this action. With enemies on all sides, Nic must quickly find out who he can trust, before Caesar’s magic costs him his life.

A good fantasy set in Roman times, Mark of the Thief provides a very descriptive recreation of the Roman Empire of the 3rd century. Fans of historical fiction might balk a little at the presence of magic and mythical creatures, but will enjoy the political conspiracy at the heart of this book’s plot.

The story continues in Rise of the Wolf.

The Technology of Ancient Rome

McCullough, Naomi. The Technology of Ancient Rome. 2017. Part of the Ancient Innovations series. 64p. ISBN 978-1-5026-2233-4. Available at 937 MCC on the library shelves.

The Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic to the Middle East and from Britain to Egypt, controlling millions of people and countless countries. The will of the people of Rome motivated these conquests and powered the Empire’s drive, yet the Romans may not have left behind a lasting legacy was it not for their technology, which endures in many forms even today.

Seldom innovators, the Romans instead adopted technologies from those who surrounded them and adapted them for their own purposes, streamlining and increasing efficiencies along the way until they had built an unstoppable imperial machine. Paved roads had been constructed elsewhere in the world, but the Romans are the first to deploy an extensive network of paved roads with distance markers between their cities. Services such as hotels and motels developed along the roads and became popular with travelers. Bridges were constructed of stone and cement and spanned distances previously unfathomable.

Cities benefited from an increase in agricultural harvests with the improvement of water mills. Greek water mills could grind 15 pounds of wheat into flour in a day, but new designs and adaptations by the Romans increased this amount exponentially, such that many mills ground 20 to 30 tons of flour a day. Tools were designed to make the harvest process more efficients. Buildings were also improved with concrete, indoor plumbing and heating, while cheaper apartment building poorly constructed stretched to the skies. Aqueducts delivered water from far distances to quench the thirst of city residents. Bath houses and toilets provided a certain level of sanitary infrastructure unequaled for the next fifteen hundred years. Finally, medical innovations allowed soldiers to survive battles, new calendars more precisely tracked time, and the mass production of weapons and armor ensured that for centuries Rome’s might stood unchallenged.

Cicero

Lowery, Zoe and Fiona Forsyth. Cicero. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-50817258-1. Available at B CIC on the library shelves.

The most prolific writer of the ancient Roman world, Marcus Tullius Cicero played a major part in the transformation of Rome from a Republic to an Empire, and lost his life in the process for choosing the losing side. A contemporary of Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, Cicero lived from 106 BCE to 43 BCE, when he was assassinated under the direct order of Octavian. Known for extensive letters and books which covered daily Roman life, Cicero was also a Senator, a scholar, a poet and a lawyer. Recognized as the best orator of his era, Cicero’s ability to motivate crowds is one of the reason he lost his life. Cicero’s personal life thus follows the ups and downs of the collapse of the Republic and the bid of several strong men to take control of Rome, until Octavian successfully crowned himself Augustus.

Fans of Rome and of its dysfunctional political system will appreciate how Cicero was able to exploit, and ultimately fell victim to, a system designed to administer a city, and not an empire.

Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:

• Julius Caesar
• Cleopatra

• Augustus

• Cicero

• Nero

• Hadrian

• Constantine