SPQR series

For other uses, see SPQR (disambiguation).

The SPQR series is a collection of historical mystery stories by John Maddox Roberts set in the time of the Roman Republic. SPQR (the original title of the first book, until the sequels came out) is a Latin initialism 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 91-95 BC), nephew of Metellus Pius and member of the powerful Caecilius Metellus family of the Roman Senate. The stories are told in flashback-form by the old Decius, writing during the reign of Augustus Caesar. The stories range from 70 BC (The King's Gambit) to 20 BC ("The King of Sacrifices").

Decius' companions include his slaves Cato, Cassandra, and Hermes; his friends, the Greek gladiatoral physician Asklepiodes and the gangster/politician Titus Annius Milo; and his staunch enemies, the siblings Clodia and Clodius. Along the way, he is often helped by his father, as well as by Cicero and a young Julius Caesar. 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 calendar system.

Currently, a German company is planning to adapt the series for TV.[1][2]

Entries

The series includes (in chronological order):

These dates are approximate because there is contradictory information within the texts. For instance, in the The Sacrilege which can be dated externally at 62 BC, Decius claims to be turning 29, indicating he was born in 91 BC. Yet in The Tribune's Curse, he finds that he was born in the same year as Marcus Porcius Cato (95 BC). In "King of Sacrifices" externally dated at 20 BC, he claims he was in his 73rd year, indicating he was born in either 93 or 92 BC. The AUC dates given in The Sacrilege, Temple of the Muses and "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. Temple probably falls somewhere in between the other two. The author has noted that events in The Year of Confusion have been modified for dramatic effect.

See also

References

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