List of characters in The Roman Mysteries
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of characters in the Roman Mysteries
, a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence
.
http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=1163
History
Flavia was born on 16 June AD 69
. Little is known about Flavia's life in Ostia
prior to the events of the first book
.
Appearance
Flavia is a described as having grey eyes and light brown hair(her name literally means "girl with fair hair"). She is not described as being very beautiful. However, the others love her for who she is. Throughout the series, she dresses in several shades of blue and grey.
Family and Friends
Flavia lives with her father Marcus Flavius Geminus, a widowed sea captain, and her pet dog, Scuto. Her beloved mother, Myrtilla, died giving birth to stillborn twin boys when Flavia was only three. Flavia has very few memories of her mother and cannot remember what she looked like. Myrtilla was from Rome, and Flavia has family there on her mother's side. Her aunt, Cynthia, married a Roman Senate|Senator, Cornix, and Flavia has several cousins from Cynthia's side of the family.
She has an affectionate relationship with her father's two house slaves, Alma and Caudex, and eventually adopts and frees Nubia from slavery.
Her best friends are Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus. She and Jonathan are good friends but argue frequently over what is right and what is not. Flavia is very temperamental and can be selfish, leading to Jonathan quarreling with her, though they always make up in the end and Flavia might even confess that she was wrong. Yet Flavia is also very kind-hearted and has formed something of a maternal affection for young Nubia, whom she bought at the slave market to save her from a life of cruelty. Lupus is also important to Flavia as he is the same age her twin brothers would be had they survived their difficult birth. She thinks of him as a sort of surrogate brother. Flavia used to have a crush on Pulchra's father, Publius Pollius Felix. In The Sirens of Surrentum she meets her betrothed, Tranquillus, but events occur which end in her not being betrothed anymore. She also discovers that Felix has 'been with' almost all the pretty slave girls, and has fathered many illegitimate slave children. At the end of the book, when leaving Surrentum, the friends see a graffiti that reads: EVERYONE LOVES FELIX. Flavia says quietly, "Not everyone," so she has gotten over her crush on Felix.
Earlier in the book, it is hinted that Flaccus, a young rich man,
may be falling for her. It has also been hinted that they will become betrothed. (Source: Roman Mysteries website). He proposed to her at the beginning of the book The Beggar of Volubilis but Flavia refuses.
It is unlikely that Flavia and Jonathan will become betrothed, partly because he is Jewish, and the fact that they have no romantic attraction, as it clearly states in the first chapter of The Sirens of Surrentum.
In The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, Flavia is horrified to learn that her father is thinking of remarrying to a widow and convinces herself that the woman is evil and must be gotten rid of. This is an example of how protective Flavia is of her mother's memory. However it is only when Flavia succeeds in her task to remove the widow from her father's life that she realises that how selfish she was and only thinking of herself and that the woman was actually nice but she died of fever.
Affected by Miriam's death, Flavia makes a vow to the goddess Diana to renounce men, but by the end of The Beggar of Volubilis she agrees to take it back.
Flaccus and Flavia finally marry at the end of the last book, with Nubia, Aristo, Jonathan and Lupus as guests of honour.
Personality
Flavia is stubborn, and can also be selfish and spoilt. She can sometimes be bossy, yet she can also be brave, clever and kind-hearted. She freed Nubia from her life as a slave yet she still orders her about. Flavia can also be jealous, as she is jealous of Jonathan's sister Miriam as she is very beautiful. Sometimes she does not understand other people's behaviour, e.g. she insists that Polla Pulchra's mother is "barking mad" even though she is depressed. She is a very good detective when she is not emotionally involved.
Flavia is portrayed in the television series
by Francesca Isherwood
.
Appearance
Jonathan is described as having curly dark hair and olive skin
. He has a normal build, but gains weight and muscle as the books progress. Throughout the series, his theme colours are cream
and brown
and black
when Jonathan is a slave to Titus.
History
Jonathan was born to doctor Mordecai ben Ezra and his wife Susannah in Jerusalem on 15 September, AD 68. He was a toddler when the Emperor Titus
conquered the Jews and burnt the Holy Temple, after which he went to Rome with his father and sister, Miriam.
He moved to Ostia in AD 79 at the age of ten where he met Flavia Gemina, the rich, clever daughter of Marcus Geminus, and her brave,young slave-girl Nubia. Jonathan also befriended a mute beggar boy, Lupus, and the two became inseparable. Lupus moved in with Jonathan's family, during The Thieves of Ostia.
When his guard dog was killed he joined the other three on the quest to discover the culprit. He was successful and was rewarded by a puppy, whom he named Tigris.
During The Assassins of Rome, he learns that his mother may be alive and journeys with his uncle Simeon to Rome to find her. Mistaken for an assassin, Jonathan is branded as a slave and forced to work in Nero's Golden House
. He befriends Rizpah, another slave, who takes him to his mother. He is distressed to learn that his mother had loved another man and stayed in Jerusalem to be with him. Titus frees him and grants his family Roman citizenship. Jonathan later returns home, having promised Susannah not to tell his father that she is alive.
In the second book in which he is the primary character, The Enemies of Jupiter, Jonathan returns to Rome when his father is summoned there to work as a doctor for those with the fever. His plan to get his mother and father back together ultimately fails and he is banished from Rome by Titus. After getting mugged he is looked after by fellow Jew, Agathus, who asks for his assistance to burn Rome to the ground. In a bid to stall him, Jonathan agrees. Once more, his plans fail and, despite Agathus's death in a deadly battle, the fire causes widespread destruction. He changes his identity and becomes a child gladiator
.
In The Gladiators of Capua, Jonathan is believed to be dead by his family and friends (with the exception of Lupus), although in fact he is training as a gladiator in Rome. He is later brought home to Ostia where his dream comes true. His mother has returned.
Personality and Skills
Jonathan is funny and comedic, with a sardonic, wise-cracking sense of humour. He is generally sensitive and pessimistic (he refers to it as being a realist), as well as being emotional, especially towards his mother. He often has prophetic dreams. He suffers from asthma, although this improves over time. After The Enemies of Jupiter he grows depressed and blames himself for the deaths in the fire. Despite returning to his friends and family he retains a much darker personality than in the earlier books, making fewer jokes and having a stronger pessimistic view. He continues to do his exercises from his life as a child gladiator, making him very fit. He starts to play the barbiton
, a bass lyre, in The Assassins of Rome and becomes quite proficient.
Relationships
He met his neighbour Flavia Gemina when he saved her life from a group of wild dogs and the two became good friends. Later, he befriended Flavia's young African slave, Nubia, whom he later became very close to, followed by the mute beggar boy, Lupus who completes the group of detectives. He begins a romantic relationship with Polla Pulchra in The Sirens of Surrentum. However, he officially says he is not in love in The Prophet from Epheus. He loves his puppy, Tigris, deeply as well as his parents and his uncle Simeon. Other friends include Rizpah and Clio.
Religion
Although Jewish by birth and culture, he and his family belong to the new Christian sect. Many other Jews do not approve of them because of this.
Jonathan is portrayed in the television series
by Eli Machover.
History
Shepenwepet (Nubia's original name), daughter of Nastasen of the Leopard Clan, was born on 18 August 68 AD. She grew up in the beautiful desert country of Nubia, in Africa, with her parents, brothers, baby sister and cousin. At the age of ten Shepenwepet was forced to witness her family's deaths, when her tribe was attacked by slave traders. She herself was captured from her home and taken to Ostia as a slave girl, while her older brother, Taharqo - the only other surviving member of her family - was taken to be a gladiator (She is later re-united with her brother in "The Gladiators of Capua"). In Ostia she was re-named Nubia, as were all the female Nubian slaves, by the slave dealer Venalicius, after her native country. She does not use her real name, frequently saying: Nubia can be my new name for my new life. After she was bought by Flavia Gemina, sea captain's daughter, who later set her free, Nubia made friends with Jonathan ben Mordecai, a Jewish boy who lives next door to Flavia and the Greek mute, Lupus.
Appearance
Nubia is described as pretty with dark brown skin, short black hair and golden-brown eyes. However, looks mean nothing to her, and she is not afriad of getting her clothes dirty or her hair untidy. Her signature color is yellow
.
Personality and skills
Nubia is probably the wisest of the four and maybe the kindest, too. She has great instincts and is good at sensing whether of not people are good, bad, lying or truthful. She has a talent for calming animals, which helps the friends out when they are in trouble. Nubia is also a talented musician, making and performing all of her own pieces to people such as Titus and Pliny the elder. Some of her most frequently played tunes are 'Slave Song' and 'Song of the Lost Kid'.
Family, friends and relationships
All of Nubia's family were killed by the slave traders, except for Taharqo, her oldest brother. In "The Scribes from Alexandria" it is revealed she was once betrothed to her cousin Kashta, who was living on the Nubian border. Sometimes she feels that she is all alone in the world, and takes comfort in her three friends. Nubia sees Jonathan and Lupus as her brothers and Flavia as a sister. Nubia is very close to Flavia, and is quick to comfort her if she is in distress. Jonathan and Nubia are firm friends and there is no account of them quarrelling. Nubia has strong maternal affections for Lupus, partly because she is naturally gentle and caring herself, and partly because Lupus, like herself, has no family and is all alone in the world.
Nubia falls in love with her tutor Aristo although she knows he loves Miriam, but despite all her attempts to forget about him, she cannot. In The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina she performs a dance called the Little Tarantula to free herself of love's passion. However, this does not work as Nubia points out to Flavia in The Fugitive from Corinth. When Nubia believes she, Flavia, Dion and Aristo are going to die in an airless tomb she almost tells him her undying love, but before she can, Jonathan and Lupus rescue them. Nubia realizes that if she ever told Aristo about how she felt, it would ruin their relationship as friends so she decides not to tell him. However, Aristo confesses love for her in the last book and the two marry.
Nubia is portrayed in the television series
by Rebekah Brookes-Murrell.
Appearance
Lupus is Greek, has dark brown hair and sea-green eyes. Lupus' signature color is green
. He is mute because his tongue was cut out by the slave dealer Venalicius, who is also his uncle Philippos.
History
Lykos, the son of Melissa and Alexandros, a fisherman, was born on 15 February AD 71 on the Greek island of Symi
. One day he came home to find his father dead in a pool of blood and his uncle Philippos nearby. Lykos shouts out that he will tell someone but his uncle cuts out his tongue and takes him to Ostia. (In the TV series, the trauma of the event and his uncle's threats cause Lupus' muteness.) For years he lived rough as a beggar known as Lupus, the Roman version of his name which means "wolf". Then one day, after he is chased by a pack of wild dogs, three children befriend him and welcome him into their homes. Lupus does not tell them he is Greek until The Dolphins of Laurentum, when he reveals that he is a sponge diver and Aristo can converse to him in Greek. At the end of the book, Philippos (also known as Venalicius) is dying and he asks Lupus to forgive him. Lupus agrees, realizing that he is becoming a 'second' Venalicius in his cold-hearted ways, and forgives him. His uncle's last words are: "Help the children - the ones I took. Rose". Lupus inherits his ship, the Vespa; becoming a shipowner gives Lupus status and makes him potentially wealthy.
Later in The Colossus of Rhodes Flavia realizes that what Venalicius was trying to say was Rhodes, sending them on a mission to stop a criminal mastermind.
Family and friends
Lupus does not have any family left except for his mother, Melissa, who made a vow to Apollo and is now a priestess in the sanctuary at Delphi. Lupus feels that Jonathan, Nubia and Flavia are his brother and sisters, and often turns to Nubia as a sort of mother-figure. He is also good friends with Clio, and asks Felix to look for her after the volcanic eruption.
Lupus is portrayed in the television series
by Harry Stott.
Agathus was an elderly, Jewish door slave to Titus's palace. During The Assassins of Rome, he befriended Jonathan ben Mordecai and his uncle, Simeon ben Jonah. When Jonathan was captured and enslaved, Agathus was kind towards him and helped him deal with the pain of the branding. It is apparent that he was either an ex-freedom fighter or an ex-assassin, as he takes Simeon's sica
as some form of password. He despises the Romans, and it is implied that he was there at the Sack of Jerusalem
.
He appeared once more in The Enemies of Jupiter, where it became clear that he was the agent of potential assassin, Berenice, who was determined to kill Susannah bat Jonah, sister to Simeon and mother to Jonathan. Agathus led Jonathan into believing that his mission was to kill Titus, although Jonathan eventually guessed his true plan: to burn down Rome. They engaged in a fatal battle, in which Agathus, despite being armed with a knife, was knocked into the flames by the terrified boy and perished.
Agathus has appeared in the following novels:
Alma
Alma is the loyal house-slave of the Geminus household. Plump and jolly, she is a firm believer in tradition and is very protective of Flavia, often taking the role of her mother-figure.
She is a stereotypical house-wife figure: a knowledgeable cook, cleaner and knows of everything going on in Ostia
, due to her gossiping ways, a valuable asset to Flavia and her friends. She is rarely seen without her male counterpart, Caudex, with whom she frequently gossips with, although it is apparent that she believes him to be rather slow. She was hit by the fever in December AD 79.
She has appeared in the following novels:
Argos
Flaccus' dog. Mentioned in the last book: The Man from Pomegranate Street. Flaccus names his dog, "Argos" as Flavia's dog is named "Scuto".
Aristo
Aristo, son of Diogenes, is a young Greek from Corinth
who has been Flavia's tutor for several years, and comes to act as tutor for the other children. He appears in most of the books. He is both intelligent and handsome. He teaches them philosophy, Greek language and music. He plays the lyre and often accompanies Nubia when she plays the flute. He is very helpful to the detectives, being flexible about what constitutes education.
He is hopelessly in love with Miriam and after her death in childbirth he is distraught and is noted to play very sad music. He apparently fails to notice that Nubia loves him.
In The Fugitive from Corinth
his family background is revealed. He has a brother, Dion, who has always been envious of his seemingly perfect brother and tries to murder him but injuring Marcus instead. In the final book, "The Man from Pomegranate Street", he confesses his love for Nubia and marries her.
Ascletario
Ascletario is an astrologer in the service of Titus. In The Enemies of Jupiter he acts as the children's guide to Rome, describing and explaining the history and customs of the city. He talks incessantly and has some odd mannerisms which the Jonathan mocks behind his back. He then appears in The man from Pomegranate Street.
Atticus
Atticus is an elderly Greek sailor serving aboard The Delphina, under Marcus Geminus.
Atticus made his first appearance in The Colossus of Rhodes, where it was discovered that he is unable to read or write. He serves mainly as Ship's Cook, and on many occasions his food is described as being sublime. He is one of the few crewmembers who was not suspected by Flavia and her friends, as the culprit would have to be literate. Atticus also assists the captain, Marcus Artorius Bato, and Gaius Valerius Flaccus in subduing the traitor, Zosimus.
During The Fugitive from Corinth, Atticus takes a more major role, serving as the detectives' guide. He has a good head for the geography of his native country and it is revealed that he has a girlfriend named Flora, after whom he named his dagger.
His skills as a cook are mentioned at a higher extent as well as his talent at hunting, causing Jonathan and he to become firm friends. When not pulled back with a sling, Atticus' grey hair is scary, causing a tired Jonathan to believe that he is Medusa. Atticus has appeared in numerous times as a background character.
Atticus has appeared in the following novels in the series:
Aulus Cornix
Aulus Caesilius Cornix, a Roman senator, is the husband of Cynthia, sister to Marcus Geminus' deceased wife, Myrtilla, and thus Flavia's uncle. He had a number of children: twelve-year-old Aulus Jr, eight-year-old Hyacinth, six-year-old twins, Quintus and Sextus, five-year-old Rhoda and two unnamed babies.
He and his family had been feuding with the Gemini family for many years when Flavia came to him in need of help for rescuing Jonathan. Although he and the family were away on holiday, his loyal secretary, Sisyphus, assisted the children.
Upon his return, he was healed from the fever by Mordecai, but lost two of his younger children. He announced the feud over between the two respective families, and has received the children as guests on numerous occasions.
Despite certain bouts of pompousness, sexism and arrogance, he really does care about his family. He is a staunch supporter of the Greens chariot racing
team, and despises the Blues, in a fashion similar to his son, Aulus Jr.
Aulus Cornix has appeared in the following novels in the series:
Aulus Jr
Aulus Cornix Junior is Flavia's cousin. Pompous and arrogant and very much like his father, twelve-year-old Aulus Jr. is the oldest child of the Cornix family. He is a nemesis of Flavia's and can be a bully towards his siblings as well as the detectives, especially Nubia. Snobbish but reasonably intelligent, he is a firm supporter of the Greens.
Aulus Cornix Junior has appeared in the following novels:
Bar Mnason is the son of animal trainer, Mnason, and, in a way similar to Nubia, has a gift with animals, notably the lion Monobaz. He befriends Nubia during The Gladiators from Capua
, and assists her, alongside his father, in saving Flavia's life.
Bato
Marcus Artorius Bato is an intelligent magistrate
in Ostia who assists the children in their mysteries. Although appearing as a foil for Flavia in The Thieves of Ostia and in The Assassins of Rome (in the latter he arrests Mordecai by mistake), he is a helpful ally to the children in The Colossus of Rhodes. However, in The Slave-girl from Jerusalem he betrays Flavia and her friends while they are pleading a case and Flavia feels he is a traitor. She almost says so to his face, if not for Aristo's intervention.
Berenice
Berenice is a former Jewish queen, the mistress of Titus. She appears in The Enemies of Jupiter and is mentioned in The Assassins of Rome.
Bulbus
The doorslave of the Cornix household, Bulbus is similar to Caudex, although possibly even more unintelligent. In The Assassins of Rome he is said to have "the brain of an onion, a very small onion" by Sisyphus, slave and secretary to Senator Aulus Cornix.
Cartilia Poplicola, also known as Paula, is an apparent widow whom Flavia's much-loved father, Marcus, develops a romantic interest in, much to the horror of Flavia, who does all she can to remove the woman from her and her father's life. Everyone disagrees with Flavia about Cartilia, yet she pays no heed and ensures that Marcus cannot marry Cartilia by producing Cartilia's husband, who is alive and well and who divorced Cartilia and another of his wives as she was incapable of giving him children. Flavia thinks that her father will be relieved to be rid of her, but he is grief-stricken and begins to resent his daughter. When they reunite, Marcus is ready to marry Cartilia but sadly she dies of a fever that is infesting Ostia.
Cartilia appears in:
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
Caudex
Caudex is the door-slave of the Geminus household. Given his name due to his apparent unintelligence (Caudex means blockhead), Caudex is a firm ally of the friends and has saved their lives on many occasions.
In The Gladiators of Capua, arguably Caudex's largest role, it is revealed that he was born in Britannia and sold as a slave during the Roman conquest of Britain
. He later trained as a Gladiator in Capua, but could not bring himself to kill. In the same book, he saved Jonathan's life, by surprisingly intelligently infiltrating the arena in which the boy was to be executed. Caudex regards the Geminus family and friends as his familia. His best friend is obviously his female counterpart, Alma, with whom he frequently gossips. He was hit by the fever in December AD 79.
Caudex has appeared in the following novels in the series:
Clio
One of the adopted daughter of Rectina who appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius. Named after Clio
, the Muse
of History. She is usually seen wearing a bright orange tunic and develops a romantic liking toward Lupus. She is a talkative but adventurous girl and befriends Flavia and the group, despite Flavia's hostility to her at first. Clio is almost killed by the eruption of the volcano after she attempts to rescue her mother and sisters who are trapped in their villa. They all survive, as is revealed in The Assassins of Rome when she visits Lupus, who was concerned enough to ask Felix to find her.
Cordius
Cordius, the richest man in Ostia, is Marcus's patron
. He is a very conservative Roman and disapproves of independent women. He is often referred to, but rarely seen. His wife and children were massacred in Germania.
Cynthia
Cynthia Cornix was the sister of Myrtilla Gemina, Flavia's mother, who died in childbirth in the early AD 70s. She married senator Aulus Cornix sometime before AD 68 and gave birth to seven children over the next twelve years. Two of them died in the Great Plague of AD 80.
In "The Gladiators from Capua", it becomes apparent that she has the 'bloodlust', which is why Senator Cornix decides to leave Rome early.
Cynthia Cornix has appeared in the following novels of the series:
Cartilia Poplicola, known as Diana, the sister of Paula and friend of Flavia. She is in love with Aristo and hates Miriam, whom she mistakenly calls 'Melania'. Despite their differences, Diana attends Miriam's funeral. She calls herself 'Diana
' after the goddess, as she decides never to get married and she is a keen hunter. In The Beggar of Volubilis she persuades Flavia to join her in taking a vow to the goddess Diana to renounce men.
Domitian
Titus Flavius Domitianus is the Emperor Titus
's younger brother. Not much is given of him personally except for his appearance. He is described as good looking, medium height, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He is quite arrogant; "I'm an excellent archer" and he hates his brother Titus; "She [Nubia] had seen the look of pure hatred in his eyes when he looked at Titus"...
Publius Pollus Felix a.k.a. the Patron
is an extremely wealthy highborn Roman with Greek
heritage. He was first encountered in The Pirates of Pompeii
, where we met his sickly wife Polla, and their pampered daughter Pulchra. He is kind and generous to the four friends, seeming to favour Lupus most of all. He makes them welcome at his villa and gives them expensive gifts. Flavia eventually believes she is falling in love with him and therefore refuses to accept her betrothal to Tranquillus. His spoiled daughter Pulchra then invites the friends back to their home, the Villa Limona, after they saved her from being sold into slavery following the eruption of Vesuvius. In The Assassins of Rome
, after the incident
at Nero
's golden house, He and Pulchra come and eat at Jonathan's sucah (The festival of Tabernacles). Flavia still thinks she loves him, but sees him in a different light as an unfaithful womaniser, who has fathered many illegitimate children by the many beautiful slave girls he owns, and also with many of the beautiful widows he entertains. When his wife Polla tries to poison herself in despair, he sees the error of his ways, but many doubt he can remain true to his word. At the end of 'The Sirens of Surrentum', he asks Flavia to join him in his study to thank her in private. However, at one point, he puts his hand on her knee and slowly bends his head towards her, supposedly trying to kiss her. Flavia runs off before he can.
Flaccus appears in
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Sirens of Surrentum
The Man from Pomegranate Street
Ferox
Ferox is the guard-dog at Gaius's house.
Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus
is a friend of Flavia Gemina. Flavia first meets Flaccus in The Colossus of Rhodes when she is sailing to Rhodes on her father's ship. At first she does not like him, saying that he is a "pompous lawyer", and nicknaming him "Floppy". He is also arrogant and rude to her but by the end of the book she is sad to see him leave, as she has seen his true character as a noble, kind, just man. He is also incredibly handsome.
In The Sirens of Surrentum Flavia meets him again but he leaves early with a mission to help Flavia track down a criminal mastermind. Nubia hints that Flaccus may be falling for her. He appears again in The Slave-Girl from Jerusalem, defending Hephzibah in court,and Flavia starts to fall for him. He proposes to her at the beginning of The Beggar of Volubilis, only to be turned down as Flavia has taken a vow of chastity at the temple of Diana. He leaves her with a betrothal ring, in case she changes her mind, and the feathered end of an arrow, as a symbol that she has pierced his heart. At the end of The Beggar of Volubilis, Flavia is tempted to change her mind regarding the proposal of Flaccus. At the end of The Man from Pomegranate Street, Flaccus gets killed in a shipwreck -or at least, that is what Flavia tells everyone. However, it is revealed that he is very much alive and only pretended to die. He and Flavia marry at the end of 'The Man from Pomegranate Street'. His 'new' name being Jason.
Gaius Flavius Geminus is Flavia's uncle, twin brother of Marcus Geminus. Flavia and her friends stay at his farm in Stabia in The Secrets of Vesuvius. While there, Jonathan's sister Miriam, known for her beauty, falls in love with Gaius, and they marry in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina. Gaius and his new wife move into a new farm near their new patron, Pliny the Younger
. After losing his wife in childbirth, Gaius is believed to have committed suicide by drowning, but Flavia finds him in The Beggar of Volubilis. On the voyage home they are shipwrecked and he is still missing.
Gaius appears in
The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Dolphins of Laurentum
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
The Beggar of Volubilis
The Scribes from Alexandria
Hephzibah bat David is The Slave-girl from Jerusalem. She is a childhood friend of Miriam and Miriam enlists Flavia and the others to help her find the man who witnessed her manumission, which is being disputed by Lucius Nonius Celer. She is later accused of triple murder and in the quest to proclaim her innocence, the four friends learn she was present during the fall of Jerusalem and also in the siege of Masada
, where she was one of the seven survivors. In her former master's will she receives a legacy which makes her very rich.
Miriam confides in her about her vision of an angel telling her she will die giving birth and asks Hephzibah to look after her babies. In The Beggar of Volubilis she is said to be doing so, having moved into Jonathan's house after Gaius disappears.
Huldah
One of the Jewish handmaidens given to Queen Berenice, along with Susannah the Beautiful, Jonathan's mother. She was thrown out of the Golden House for flirting with the Emperor Titus. She appears in The Assassins of Rome.
Hyacinth
Hyacinth Cornix is the second child of Aulus and Cynthia, and the eldest of the girls. She is the sister of Aulus Jnr and Flavia's cousin. She is temperamental, quite tomboyish and commonly bullied and picked on by her older brother, Aulus Jr. She is very fond of her elder cousin, Flavia.
Hyacinth Cornix appears in the following novels in the series:
Titus Flavius Josephus, originally Yoseph ben Matthias, is a former Jewish commander who is now a Roman freedman loyal to Titus. He appears in The Assassins of Rome and The Enemies of Jupiter. He foiled Simeon's and Jonathan's disguise by telling Domitian that Simeon is a Sicarii. In The Enemies of Jupiter Josephus tries to aid Flavia in solving a mystery, but catches the fever and falls unconscious. In fact, Flavia is not sure how much of what he told them was just delirious ranting. He is mentioned in The Slave-girl from Jerusalem as the former owner of Hephzibah and her mother, questioning them about their experiences for his book about the Jewish War.
The historical Josephus
was present in the siege of Jerusalem and, after Jerusalem fell, came to Rome with Titus.
Leda is Pulchra's slave girl. In The Pirates of Pompeii Pulchra treats her with great cruelty, such as locking her in a wooden chest when she 'misbehaves'. At the end of The Pirates of Pompeii Pulchra 'opens her eyes' and she treats Leda better. In Sirens of Surrentum she loves her mistress's father.
Lusca
Lusca, also known as the old woman of Ostia, is a wise woman who lives near the Hydra Fountain in Ostia. She was born in 27 BC, making her 107 years old by the time Flavia visits her in AD 79.
Lysander
Lysander is a Greek friend of Aristo's.
An enigmatic hunter, Lysander often works alongside Aristo and Cartilla 'Diana' Poplicola, whom he secretly loves, despite Diana herself actually loving Aristo. However, in later books it is clear that he has moved on. He has been mentioned many times by Aristo.
Lysander has appeared in the following books:
Marcus Flavius Geminus is Flavia's father. He is a Roman citizen of the equestrian
class. He is a sea-captain, captaining first his own ship the Myrtilla, later Lupus's ship Delphina. He is absent-minded and generally easy-going. Flavia is his only child. His wife Myrtilla died giving birth to stillborn twins when Flavia was three. He has an identical twin brother, Gaius.
Marcus appears in
The Thieves of Ostia
The Dolphins of Laurentum
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Enemies of Jupiter
The Gladiators from Capua
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Fugitive from Corinth
The Sirens of Surrentum
The Charioteer of Delphi
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
The Beggar of Volubilis
The Prophet from Ephesus
The Man from Pomegranate Street
Megara
Megara appears in The Fugitive from Corinth, dressed like a beggar, and pretending to be a boy called Nikos. In fact, she is a young, shy and pretty girl who fell in love with Dion, Aristo's brother, even if he did not notice her. She is trying to help him. She does not like Aristo because he is more bright than Dion, and Dion is always abandoned, even if he is very bright too. At the end of the book, everything is cleared up, and Dion finally falls in love with Megara.
Miriam
Miriam bat Mordecai is Jonathan's older sister. She acts as assistant to her doctor father, and later is especially active in caring for pregnant women.
Miriam is extraordinarily beautiful and has many admirers. She is described as pale with long, curly black hair and violet eyes. In The Secrets of Vesuvius, when she is 14, she falls in love with Flavia's uncle Gaius, and they are married in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina. In The Slave-girl from Jerusalem she dies giving birth to twin boys, deliberately refusing to be saved at the cost of their lives after seeing a vision from an angel telling her that her sons will do great things.
Mnason
Mnason is an intelligent animal trainer, who befriends the children in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
after his star lion, Monobaz, gets loose and is recaptured by Nubia. Her lionskin cloak is a reward from him. He has been known to breed lions, ostriches, giraffes and elephants.
He next appears in The Gladiators from Capua, in which he is in charge of supplying and training the beasts for the amphitheatre shows. Alongside his fourteen-year old son, Bar, he assists Nubia and her friends in the finding of Jonathan. Monobaz is one of the star attractions in the show.
Monobaz
Monobaz is a tame and elderly lion with hardly any teeth, owned by animal-trainer, Mnason (see above) and his son, Bar Mnason.
During the Autumn of AD 79, Monobaz escapes into the woods of Ostia, where he is recaptured by Nubia. The skin of his father, who was presumably killed years earlier, is given to Nubia as a cloak, a trophy and a reward.
Monobaz becomes the main attraction in the Games in The Gladiators from Capua
, when he fought against a vicious rabbit in the Amphitheatre. He is, however, used for comic relief, and the rabbit repeatedly jumps in and out of his mouth.
Mordecai
Mordecai ben Ezra, the father of Jonathan and Miriam, is a doctor. Jewish by birth, he is Christian by religion. He is a compassionate and peaceful man. During the Great Revolt he left Jerusalem with his children, believing his wife Susannah to be dead. Her return in The Enemies of Jupiter has not brought him much happiness, as she does not love him and behaves strangely, and the death of his daughter crushes him, as is seen in "Death by Vespasian".
Myrtilla
Myrtilla is the name of Flavia's deceased mother and the wife of Marcus Geminus. Not much is known about her, other than she died giving birth to stillborn twin boys prior to the books. Flavia was three when she lost her mother and cannot remember what she looked like. The only given description of Myrtilla is that she had dark hair. She either once lived in Pompeii or visited it as there is where she met her future husband Marcus. Her sister Cynthia is married to Aulus Cornix and lives in Rome.
The Myrtilla is also the name of the ship Marcus Flavius Geminus (her husband) owned, but it got shipwrecked and so Lupus (in The Dolphins of Laurentum) lent his new ship (previously Venalicius's Vespa but renamed Delphina) to him.
See Cartilia
Phrixus
Gaius Plinius Phrixus is a former slave of Pliny the Elder
. He was later set free by Gaius Plinius Secundinus and often helps the four friends if they are staying near Laurentum.
Pliny
Pliny the Elder
is an admiral and famous writer. Flavia meets him in The Secrets of Vesuvius and impresses him with her knowledge of his writings. He later dies as a result of the eruption of Vesuvius.
Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
, Pliny's nephew, is a wealthy young lawyer who becomes a friend of Flavia and the others. He first appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius. He helps Gaius when his farm is destroyed, becoming his patron. In The Slave-girl from Jerusalem Flavia asks him for his legal help, which he is glad to give until unnerved by hearing that the great Quintilian
will be appearing for the prosecution.
Pistor
Pistor the baker runs the famous bakery in Ostia and is father to Porcius. he appears in a Roman Mysteries short story called The Code of Romulus
when Flavia tries to solve the mystery of who is stealing his famous poppy seed rolls. He and his family also make an appearance at Miriam's funeral.
Porcius
Born in AD 69 to a family of bakers, Porcius is the first of the children of Ostia to be captured by the slave-traders led by Magnus. Porcius is rescued by the four friends in The Colossus of Rhodes. He also appeared as a guest in Nubia's birthday party.
Porcius is an ecstatic fan of chariot racing and knows almost as much as there is to know about the sport. He even races his pet mice in a miniature arena.
When Porcius is first mentioned in The Code of Romulus, he is apparently rather fat. By the end of The Colossus of Rhodes, however, he has grown thin and scrawny after being starved by the slave traders. His girth appears to have returned in The Charioteer of Delphi.
Polla
Polla Argentaria is the beautiful wife of Publius Pollius Felix. She suffers from depression and tries to poison herself when she finds out that Felix has fathered many illegitimate slave children.
Pulchra
Polla Felicia Pulchra first appears in The Pirates of Pompeii and is the eldest daughter of the wealthy Roman patron Publius Pollius Felix. When we first meet her she is shown in a bad light as a pampered, snobbish "daddy's girl". Pulchra is of similar age with Flavia being the elder of two months, Jonathan and Nubia, and is described as slim with beautiful golden hair (which she tosses arrogantly when she wants to brag) and wide blue eyes. She is also very pretty, hence her nickname, which means "beautiful" in Latin. According to "The Roman Mysteries Treasury" she was born on the 31 July AD 68, making her slightly older than Nubia.
Pulchra is the daughter of Publius Pollius Felix and his beautiful wife, Polla, who is suffering from post-natal depression when we first meet her. She has two younger sisters named Pollina and Pollinilla. She also has her own personal slave girl named Leda and she treats her with utmost cruelty; beating her frequently and locking her in a wooden chest when she "misbehaves". She is shown as a bit of a snob and looking down on Nubia, since Nubia is still Flavia's slave during this point in the book, and does not even bother to directly talk to her. Despite her stuck-up beliefs, she begins to fall in love with Jonathan from the moment they meet and even gives him a priceless ruby ring from her jewellery box even though they have only known each other ten minutes. Pulchra devotes herself to Jonathan and ignores Flavia, deliberately mispronouncing her name as "Fulvia" and mistaking Lupus for Jonathan's slave. Flavia and Lupus look on Pulchra as a "spoilt little harpy", but do not think her truly wicked until Pulchra whips Nubia and snaps her precious flute in half. Flavia and Pulchra fight violently in the valley overlooking Pulchra's villa and are kidnapped by slave dealers. The two girls make up and Flavia tells Pulchra how much Nubia means to her. Pulchra is then shown in a better light as a lonely girl with no friends as she tells Flavia how lucky she is to have friends. She also has a poor relationship with her family, as her father spends no time with her and her mother is ill. She has no interest in her two sisters, and treats them almost as badly as she treats Leda.
At first Pulchra is displayed as spoiled, cruel and selfish, and also a bit of a snob. She certainly has no sense of humanitarianism as she tells Jonathan that Nubia cannot own a puppy as she is a slave: "Slaves can't own property, they are property." Though later on she is shown as lonely and miserable. The four detectives are the only friends she ever had.
In the television series
, Pulchra is played by Millie Binks.
Like her father she really existed a poem by a man named Statius attets to this
Quintus and Sextus Cornix are the six-year-old twin sons of senator Aulus Cornix and the Lady Cynthia. They are extremely boisterous and enjoy gladiatorial combat and chariot races. They have trouble pronouncing almost all words and see Lupus as their role model. They are commonly bullied by their older brother, Aulus Jr.
Quintus and Sextus appear in the following novels in the series:
Rectina first appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius
. She is the wife of Tascius, the wealthy neighbour of Gaius Flavius Geminus. She is a handsome middle-aged woman and the adoptive mother of nine little girls who have been named after the nine Muses. She turns out to be the biological mother of the blacksmith Vulcan and recognises him at first glance during the festival of Vulcan. It is revealed her husband actually stole the infant Vulcan and left him on the riverbank to die, believing that Rectina had been having an affair with Pliny. He believes that the deformed foot Vulcan has is positive proof that the child was never his. When Rectina confronts him about Vulcan being their long-lost son, Tascius flies into a rage and blindly accuses her of being an adultress. Rectina flees heartbroken with their nine daughters to their villa upon the slopes of the volcano.
She reappears with Clio at the end of The Assassins of Rome, and Felix mentions that she and Tascius have adopted two more children, so they have evidently reconciled.
Rhoda
Rhoda Cornix is the five-year=old daughter of senator Aulus Cornix and Lady Cynthia and since the death of her little sisters, is the baby of the family once more. She is very fond of dogs and loves her older cousin, Flavia as well as Nubia. Rhoda is picked on by her older brother, Aulus Jr., in a way similar to Hyacinth, Quintus and Sextus. Flavia is her role-model.
Rhoda Cornix has appeared in the following novels in the series:
Rizpah
Rizpah, an eight-year old slave in Nero's Golden House, befriends Jonathan when he is enslaved there. An expert at sneaking and spying, she is a valuable ally to Jonathan and leads him to his mother. Her white hair, pink eyes and sensitivity to light suggest she has albinism
. She was born in the Golden House, and her catchphrase is notably Here I was born, and here I shall die.
She returns later in The Enemies of Jupiter when she shows Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus the Ark of Covenant. Simeon was to marry her mother Rachel, and she grieves as much as Jonathan when he dies of the fever.
Scopas appears in The Charioteer of Delphi
. Scopas is Flavia's and Nubia's friend in Rome who races chariots. He has autism, a condition not diagnosed in Roman times, so the friends think he is strange. However, Nubia likes him and one of the horses he races, a dark stallion called Pegasus. At the end of the novel, Scopas wins his very first race in Rome, a thing that is almost unheard of. The twins, Quintus and Sextus mistakenly call him Scorpus
, causing everyone else in the hippodrome to call him that. Scopas says that: "Scorpus can be my new name for my new life", mimicking a phrase that Nubia uses.
Scuto
Scuto is Flavia's dog. He was beaten before he joined their household, but is now happy and confident.
Sextus
Sextus was one of the sailors on Marcus's old ship, the Myrtilla, when it sunk. However, he survived and found refuge in Rhodes. He was contacted by the slave-trader Magnus and was offered money if he could stop Flavia, Marcus and the rest of the Delphina's (the name of Marcus's new ship) crew from stopping Magnus. Sextus agreed and then tied up Flavia, Johnathan and Nubia on the Delphina. He planned to use it to sell them and the other kidnapped children around the Roman empire. But he is caught and arrested by the vigiles.
Sextus first appears in The Thieves of Ostia, but his main appearance is in The Colossus of Rhodes.
Simeon
Simeon ben Jonah is Jonathan's uncle, Susannah's brother. He appears in The Assassins of Rome. A former Sicari now a slave in Corinth, he has been hired by Berenice to assassinate her rival Susannah the Beautiful, who he guesses is his sister. Determined to protect her from the two other assassins, he journeys to Rome with Jonathan. After some misadventures, he is appointed steward of the Golden House by Titus.
He falls in love with Rachel, Rizpah's mother, but before they can marry dies of the fever (The Enemies of Jupiter).
Sisyphus
Aulus Caesilius Sisyphus is a Greek freedman and scribe to Aulus Caesilius Cornix and friend of Flavia Gemina. He is interested in the mysteries Flavia and her friends solve and tries to help out in them. He is rather vain and fastidious.
Sisyphus first appears in The Assassins of rome.
Susannah
Susannah bat Jonah, known as Susannah the Beautiful, is Jonathan's mother. She remained behind in Jerusalem when Mordecai and the children left, leading them to believe she had been killed. In fact she stayed to be with her first love, Jonathan the Zealot, and because her father, a Jewish priest, disapproved of her husband's conversion to Christianity and his "cowardice" in refusing to fight the Romans. Her parents and Jonathan died in the siege and she was enslaved, becoming a handmaiden to Berenice in the Golden House
. After Berenice's departure, she befriends Titus, who shows interest in her faith and her opinions. After being found by Jonathan in The Assassins of Rome, she tells him she has thought of him every day since they parted, but she cannot come back with him as Titus needs her.
In The Enemies of Jupiter she returns to live with her family. However, she has a separate room from Mordecai. She appears to be restless and spends a lot of time wandering around Ostia.
Taharqo is Nubia's eldest brother. He is a gladitator and the only other surviving member of Nubia's family. He is re-united with his sister in The Gladitators of Capua and almost set free but refuses, saying 'Free? When I can be with pretty girls here?'. He only appears in one book.
Tigris
Tigris is Jonathan's dog, the brother of Nipur (Nubia's dog)
Titia
Titia is Porcius' sister. She is about fifteen and is cross-eyed - a flaw which means she will probably never get a husband. Porcius tells Flavia that she is in love with Aristo.But in the end marry's Silvanus, who helped them in the colossus of Rhodes because Porcius gets kidnapped and he was in love with Titia.
Tranquillus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is briefly Flavia's betrothed in The Sirens of Surrentum. He is a cheery boy who likes to laugh, though he seems snobbish at first. The betrothal is canceled by his father just when he and Flavia have started to get on with each other and it seems the marriage could have worked. He is quite a cheeky boy, as is shown when he tries to persuade Lupus and Jonathan to take a boat out and spy on naked women (Flavia, Nubia, Pulchra and the other female house guests in The Sirens of Surrentum) as it is "suspicious". Lupus agrees quickly, but Jonathan refuses, saying, "You just want to spy on naked women". The plan fails as their boat gets caught on the rocks. He also appears in The Man from Pomegrate street. He tells Flavia that they should be together again and then he kisses her, she kisses him back.
An evil, cruel and impossibly horrible slave trader who plies his work in the port of Ostia. Flavia fears him dreadfully and he often makes threats to her that one day he will enslave her and sell her abroad where no one will ever see her again.
Later in the series it is revealed that he is the uncle of Lupus who, after murdering his own brother, Alexandros, in a mad fit of jealous rage, cut out Lupus's tongue to stop him telling the tale. He shares his life story with Jonathan's father Mordecai when they share a cell. He reveals that his name is really Philippos and he has been badly treated by everyone all through his life due to his ugliness and the only one who truly loved him was his mother, who died giving birth to Alexandros when Philippos was seven, hence why he loathed him so. Then his father sold him to slave traders saying he needed the money. Venalicius vowed revenge. He returned to his family home where he saw his childhood love and only friend, Melissa, now a beautiful young woman with a husband and son. Her husband was Alexandros. Philippos went mad and killed his brother, made Lupus mute and abducted him to Ostia. He later feels remorse and guilt over his cruelty and dies after battling a giant octopus. He leaves all his worldly goods to Lupus and dies in Miriam's arms; in his delirious state he believes she is his beloved mother come back to care for him.
'Venalicius' is the Latin for slave-dealer.
Vibia
Vibia is the mother of Cartilia and Diana. She is well-read, and has tried without success to interest her daughters in the classics. She is naturally grey-haired, but wears an elegant wig.
Vulcan
A handsome sixteen-year-old blacksmith and Christian
who travels through Pompeii with his donkey. His name is in fact Pulbius, but due to his trade and his deformed foot he is nicknamed Vulcan
after the lame god, which he detests but puts up with anyway. He, like so many others, becomes entranced by Miriam's beauty and makes her a silver bracelet as a token of his affections. He turns out to be the long-lost son of Rectina and her husband, who left him to die on the banks of a nearby river when he believed that Rectina had been having an affair with Pliny. However a slave girl found him and took him to her master, who allowed one of his freed slaves to raise him as his own. Vulcan is a solemn, subdued boy who rarely smiles but is very kind-hearted and understands morals a lot better than Flavia or her friends do. When he asks Flavia what her ideal treasure is, she replies material goods. He is disgusted.
Xanthus was a slave to Gaius Flavius Geminus. He was the farm manager and debuted in The Secrets of Vesuvius
. Xanthus, however, later dies.
The Roman Mysteries
The Roman Mysteries is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, The Thieves of Ostia, was published in 2001, finishing with The Man from Pomegranate Street, published in 2009, and 17 more novels were planned, plus a number of "mini-mysteries" and companion...
, a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence
Caroline Lawrence
Caroline Lawrence is an English American author, best known for The Roman Mysteries series of historical novels for children. The series is about a Roman girl called Flavia and her three friends: Nubia , Jonathan and Lupus...
.
http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=1163
Flavia Gemina
Flavia is one of four fictional protagonists in the Roman Mysteries series. She lives with her pater (father in Latin) Marcus. She does not have a mother because her mother died when she was giving birth to her twin brothers at the age of 3. Roman women at this time in history had children at a very young age.History
Flavia was born on 16 June AD 69
69
Year 69 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Rufinus...
. Little is known about Flavia's life in Ostia
Ostia
Ostia may refer to:*Ostia , a municipio of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast*Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome*Ostia Antica , a district of the commune of Rome...
prior to the events of the first book
The Thieves of Ostia
The Thieves of Ostia is a 2001 historical novel for children written by Caroline Lawrence, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. It is set in Ostia Antica, the harbour of ancient Rome, in the last month of the reign of emperor Vespasian....
.
Appearance
Flavia is a described as having grey eyes and light brown hair(her name literally means "girl with fair hair"). She is not described as being very beautiful. However, the others love her for who she is. Throughout the series, she dresses in several shades of blue and grey.
Family and Friends
Flavia lives with her father Marcus Flavius Geminus, a widowed sea captain, and her pet dog, Scuto. Her beloved mother, Myrtilla, died giving birth to stillborn twin boys when Flavia was only three. Flavia has very few memories of her mother and cannot remember what she looked like. Myrtilla was from Rome, and Flavia has family there on her mother's side. Her aunt, Cynthia, married a Roman Senate|Senator, Cornix, and Flavia has several cousins from Cynthia's side of the family.
She has an affectionate relationship with her father's two house slaves, Alma and Caudex, and eventually adopts and frees Nubia from slavery.
Her best friends are Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus. She and Jonathan are good friends but argue frequently over what is right and what is not. Flavia is very temperamental and can be selfish, leading to Jonathan quarreling with her, though they always make up in the end and Flavia might even confess that she was wrong. Yet Flavia is also very kind-hearted and has formed something of a maternal affection for young Nubia, whom she bought at the slave market to save her from a life of cruelty. Lupus is also important to Flavia as he is the same age her twin brothers would be had they survived their difficult birth. She thinks of him as a sort of surrogate brother. Flavia used to have a crush on Pulchra's father, Publius Pollius Felix. In The Sirens of Surrentum she meets her betrothed, Tranquillus, but events occur which end in her not being betrothed anymore. She also discovers that Felix has 'been with' almost all the pretty slave girls, and has fathered many illegitimate slave children. At the end of the book, when leaving Surrentum, the friends see a graffiti that reads: EVERYONE LOVES FELIX. Flavia says quietly, "Not everyone," so she has gotten over her crush on Felix.
Earlier in the book, it is hinted that Flaccus, a young rich man,
may be falling for her. It has also been hinted that they will become betrothed. (Source: Roman Mysteries website). He proposed to her at the beginning of the book The Beggar of Volubilis but Flavia refuses.
It is unlikely that Flavia and Jonathan will become betrothed, partly because he is Jewish, and the fact that they have no romantic attraction, as it clearly states in the first chapter of The Sirens of Surrentum.
In The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, Flavia is horrified to learn that her father is thinking of remarrying to a widow and convinces herself that the woman is evil and must be gotten rid of. This is an example of how protective Flavia is of her mother's memory. However it is only when Flavia succeeds in her task to remove the widow from her father's life that she realises that how selfish she was and only thinking of herself and that the woman was actually nice but she died of fever.
Affected by Miriam's death, Flavia makes a vow to the goddess Diana to renounce men, but by the end of The Beggar of Volubilis she agrees to take it back.
Flaccus and Flavia finally marry at the end of the last book, with Nubia, Aristo, Jonathan and Lupus as guests of honour.
Personality
Flavia is stubborn, and can also be selfish and spoilt. She can sometimes be bossy, yet she can also be brave, clever and kind-hearted. She freed Nubia from her life as a slave yet she still orders her about. Flavia can also be jealous, as she is jealous of Jonathan's sister Miriam as she is very beautiful. Sometimes she does not understand other people's behaviour, e.g. she insists that Polla Pulchra's mother is "barking mad" even though she is depressed. She is a very good detective when she is not emotionally involved.
Flavia is portrayed in the television series
Roman Mysteries (TV series)
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour....
by Francesca Isherwood
Francesca Isherwood
Francesca Isherwood is a British actress. Her most notable role to date is playing Flavia in the CBBC series of Roman Mysteries. Her other television credits include The New Worst Witch, The Catherine Tate Show and Casualty. She attended Burntwood school and now attends the University of York...
.
Jonathan ben Mordecai
Jonathan is one of four fictional protagonists in the Roman Mysteries series, the second eldest of the four.Appearance
Jonathan is described as having curly dark hair and olive skin
Olive skin
Olive skin describes a skin color range of some indigenous individuals who are from the Mediterranean and some other parts of Europe, Middle East and regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia. It may often be skin type 3 and 4 on the Fitzpatrick scale. However, this scale measures...
. He has a normal build, but gains weight and muscle as the books progress. Throughout the series, his theme colours are cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
and brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
and black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
when Jonathan is a slave to Titus.
History
Jonathan was born to doctor Mordecai ben Ezra and his wife Susannah in Jerusalem on 15 September, AD 68. He was a toddler when the Emperor Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
conquered the Jews and burnt the Holy Temple, after which he went to Rome with his father and sister, Miriam.
He moved to Ostia in AD 79 at the age of ten where he met Flavia Gemina, the rich, clever daughter of Marcus Geminus, and her brave,young slave-girl Nubia. Jonathan also befriended a mute beggar boy, Lupus, and the two became inseparable. Lupus moved in with Jonathan's family, during The Thieves of Ostia.
When his guard dog was killed he joined the other three on the quest to discover the culprit. He was successful and was rewarded by a puppy, whom he named Tigris.
During The Assassins of Rome, he learns that his mother may be alive and journeys with his uncle Simeon to Rome to find her. Mistaken for an assassin, Jonathan is branded as a slave and forced to work in Nero's Golden House
Domus Aurea
The Domus Aurea was a large landscaped portico villa, designed to take advantage of artificially created landscapes built in the heart of Ancient Rome by the Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome had cleared away the aristocratic dwellings on the slopes of the Palatine...
. He befriends Rizpah, another slave, who takes him to his mother. He is distressed to learn that his mother had loved another man and stayed in Jerusalem to be with him. Titus frees him and grants his family Roman citizenship. Jonathan later returns home, having promised Susannah not to tell his father that she is alive.
In the second book in which he is the primary character, The Enemies of Jupiter, Jonathan returns to Rome when his father is summoned there to work as a doctor for those with the fever. His plan to get his mother and father back together ultimately fails and he is banished from Rome by Titus. After getting mugged he is looked after by fellow Jew, Agathus, who asks for his assistance to burn Rome to the ground. In a bid to stall him, Jonathan agrees. Once more, his plans fail and, despite Agathus's death in a deadly battle, the fire causes widespread destruction. He changes his identity and becomes a child gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator 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 gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
.
In The Gladiators of Capua, Jonathan is believed to be dead by his family and friends (with the exception of Lupus), although in fact he is training as a gladiator in Rome. He is later brought home to Ostia where his dream comes true. His mother has returned.
Personality and Skills
Jonathan is funny and comedic, with a sardonic, wise-cracking sense of humour. He is generally sensitive and pessimistic (he refers to it as being a realist), as well as being emotional, especially towards his mother. He often has prophetic dreams. He suffers from asthma, although this improves over time. After The Enemies of Jupiter he grows depressed and blames himself for the deaths in the fire. Despite returning to his friends and family he retains a much darker personality than in the earlier books, making fewer jokes and having a stronger pessimistic view. He continues to do his exercises from his life as a child gladiator, making him very fit. He starts to play the barbiton
Barbiton
The barbiton, or barbitos , is an ancient stringed instrument known from Greek and Roman classics related to the lyre...
, a bass lyre, in The Assassins of Rome and becomes quite proficient.
Relationships
He met his neighbour Flavia Gemina when he saved her life from a group of wild dogs and the two became good friends. Later, he befriended Flavia's young African slave, Nubia, whom he later became very close to, followed by the mute beggar boy, Lupus who completes the group of detectives. He begins a romantic relationship with Polla Pulchra in The Sirens of Surrentum. However, he officially says he is not in love in The Prophet from Epheus. He loves his puppy, Tigris, deeply as well as his parents and his uncle Simeon. Other friends include Rizpah and Clio.
Religion
Although Jewish by birth and culture, he and his family belong to the new Christian sect. Many other Jews do not approve of them because of this.
Jonathan is portrayed in the television series
Roman Mysteries (TV series)
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour....
by Eli Machover.
Nubia
Nubia is one of four fictional protagonists in the Roman Mysteries series, the eldest of the four. In The Thieves of Ostia, it is revealed that she knows little Greek.History
Shepenwepet (Nubia's original name), daughter of Nastasen of the Leopard Clan, was born on 18 August 68 AD. She grew up in the beautiful desert country of Nubia, in Africa, with her parents, brothers, baby sister and cousin. At the age of ten Shepenwepet was forced to witness her family's deaths, when her tribe was attacked by slave traders. She herself was captured from her home and taken to Ostia as a slave girl, while her older brother, Taharqo - the only other surviving member of her family - was taken to be a gladiator (She is later re-united with her brother in "The Gladiators of Capua"). In Ostia she was re-named Nubia, as were all the female Nubian slaves, by the slave dealer Venalicius, after her native country. She does not use her real name, frequently saying: Nubia can be my new name for my new life. After she was bought by Flavia Gemina, sea captain's daughter, who later set her free, Nubia made friends with Jonathan ben Mordecai, a Jewish boy who lives next door to Flavia and the Greek mute, Lupus.
Appearance
Nubia is described as pretty with dark brown skin, short black hair and golden-brown eyes. However, looks mean nothing to her, and she is not afriad of getting her clothes dirty or her hair untidy. Her signature color is yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
.
Personality and skills
Nubia is probably the wisest of the four and maybe the kindest, too. She has great instincts and is good at sensing whether of not people are good, bad, lying or truthful. She has a talent for calming animals, which helps the friends out when they are in trouble. Nubia is also a talented musician, making and performing all of her own pieces to people such as Titus and Pliny the elder. Some of her most frequently played tunes are 'Slave Song' and 'Song of the Lost Kid'.
Family, friends and relationships
All of Nubia's family were killed by the slave traders, except for Taharqo, her oldest brother. In "The Scribes from Alexandria" it is revealed she was once betrothed to her cousin Kashta, who was living on the Nubian border. Sometimes she feels that she is all alone in the world, and takes comfort in her three friends. Nubia sees Jonathan and Lupus as her brothers and Flavia as a sister. Nubia is very close to Flavia, and is quick to comfort her if she is in distress. Jonathan and Nubia are firm friends and there is no account of them quarrelling. Nubia has strong maternal affections for Lupus, partly because she is naturally gentle and caring herself, and partly because Lupus, like herself, has no family and is all alone in the world.
Nubia falls in love with her tutor Aristo although she knows he loves Miriam, but despite all her attempts to forget about him, she cannot. In The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina she performs a dance called the Little Tarantula to free herself of love's passion. However, this does not work as Nubia points out to Flavia in The Fugitive from Corinth. When Nubia believes she, Flavia, Dion and Aristo are going to die in an airless tomb she almost tells him her undying love, but before she can, Jonathan and Lupus rescue them. Nubia realizes that if she ever told Aristo about how she felt, it would ruin their relationship as friends so she decides not to tell him. However, Aristo confesses love for her in the last book and the two marry.
Nubia is portrayed in the television series
Roman Mysteries (TV series)
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour....
by Rebekah Brookes-Murrell.
Lupus
Lupus is one of four fictional protagonists in the Roman Mysteries series, the youngest of the four.Appearance
Lupus is Greek, has dark brown hair and sea-green eyes. Lupus' signature color is green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
. He is mute because his tongue was cut out by the slave dealer Venalicius, who is also his uncle Philippos.
History
Lykos, the son of Melissa and Alexandros, a fisherman, was born on 15 February AD 71 on the Greek island of Symi
Symi
Symi also transliterated Syme or Simi is a Greek island and municipality. It is mountainous and includes the harbor town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi, as well as several smaller localities, beaches, and areas of significance in history and mythology...
. One day he came home to find his father dead in a pool of blood and his uncle Philippos nearby. Lykos shouts out that he will tell someone but his uncle cuts out his tongue and takes him to Ostia. (In the TV series, the trauma of the event and his uncle's threats cause Lupus' muteness.) For years he lived rough as a beggar known as Lupus, the Roman version of his name which means "wolf". Then one day, after he is chased by a pack of wild dogs, three children befriend him and welcome him into their homes. Lupus does not tell them he is Greek until The Dolphins of Laurentum, when he reveals that he is a sponge diver and Aristo can converse to him in Greek. At the end of the book, Philippos (also known as Venalicius) is dying and he asks Lupus to forgive him. Lupus agrees, realizing that he is becoming a 'second' Venalicius in his cold-hearted ways, and forgives him. His uncle's last words are: "Help the children - the ones I took. Rose". Lupus inherits his ship, the Vespa; becoming a shipowner gives Lupus status and makes him potentially wealthy.
Later in The Colossus of Rhodes Flavia realizes that what Venalicius was trying to say was Rhodes, sending them on a mission to stop a criminal mastermind.
Family and friends
Lupus does not have any family left except for his mother, Melissa, who made a vow to Apollo and is now a priestess in the sanctuary at Delphi. Lupus feels that Jonathan, Nubia and Flavia are his brother and sisters, and often turns to Nubia as a sort of mother-figure. He is also good friends with Clio, and asks Felix to look for her after the volcanic eruption.
Lupus is portrayed in the television series
Roman Mysteries (TV series)
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour....
by Harry Stott.
A
AgathusAgathus was an elderly, Jewish door slave to Titus's palace. During The Assassins of Rome, he befriended Jonathan ben Mordecai and his uncle, Simeon ben Jonah. When Jonathan was captured and enslaved, Agathus was kind towards him and helped him deal with the pain of the branding. It is apparent that he was either an ex-freedom fighter or an ex-assassin, as he takes Simeon's sica
Sicarii
Sicarii is a term applied, in the decades immediately preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, to an extremist splinter group of the Jewish Zealots, who attempted to expel the Romans and their partisans from Judea using concealed daggers .-History:The Sicarii used...
as some form of password. He despises the Romans, and it is implied that he was there at the Sack of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (70)
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was the decisive event of the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in...
.
He appeared once more in The Enemies of Jupiter, where it became clear that he was the agent of potential assassin, Berenice, who was determined to kill Susannah bat Jonah, sister to Simeon and mother to Jonathan. Agathus led Jonathan into believing that his mission was to kill Titus, although Jonathan eventually guessed his true plan: to burn down Rome. They engaged in a fatal battle, in which Agathus, despite being armed with a knife, was knocked into the flames by the terrified boy and perished.
Agathus has appeared in the following novels:
- The Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of Rome is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 17 October 2002 by Orion Books. It is the fourth book of The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in Ostia and Rome in September AD 79...
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
Alma
Alma is the loyal house-slave of the Geminus household. Plump and jolly, she is a firm believer in tradition and is very protective of Flavia, often taking the role of her mother-figure.
She is a stereotypical house-wife figure: a knowledgeable cook, cleaner and knows of everything going on in Ostia
Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...
, due to her gossiping ways, a valuable asset to Flavia and her friends. She is rarely seen without her male counterpart, Caudex, with whom she frequently gossips with, although it is apparent that she believes him to be rather slow. She was hit by the fever in December AD 79.
She has appeared in the following novels:
- The Thieves of OstiaThe Thieves of OstiaThe Thieves of Ostia is a 2001 historical novel for children written by Caroline Lawrence, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. It is set in Ostia Antica, the harbour of ancient Rome, in the last month of the reign of emperor Vespasian....
- The Dolphins of LaurentumThe Dolphins of LaurentumThe Dolphins of Laurentum is a historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on February 6, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the fifth novel in the The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot:...
- The Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Colossus of RhodesThe Colossus of Rhodes (novel)The Colossus of Rhodes is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. The ninth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in spring AD 80, partly aboard ship in the Mediterranean, partly on the Greek islands of Symi and Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes is a children's...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
- The Slave-girl from JerusalemThe Slave-girl from JerusalemThe Slave-girl from Jerusalem is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the thirteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007. It is set in December A.D. 80 in and around Ostia, and deals with death, slavery and the Roman legal system.-Plot summary:Jonathan's...
- Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteriesTrimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteriesTrimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries is a collection of stories by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2007 as part of the Roman Mysteries series. The stories are set in Ostia and Rome between AD 79 and AD 81, in the intervals of time between the novels...
Argos
Flaccus' dog. Mentioned in the last book: The Man from Pomegranate Street. Flaccus names his dog, "Argos" as Flavia's dog is named "Scuto".
Aristo
Aristo, son of Diogenes, is a young Greek from Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
who has been Flavia's tutor for several years, and comes to act as tutor for the other children. He appears in most of the books. He is both intelligent and handsome. He teaches them philosophy, Greek language and music. He plays the lyre and often accompanies Nubia when she plays the flute. He is very helpful to the detectives, being flexible about what constitutes education.
He is hopelessly in love with Miriam and after her death in childbirth he is distraught and is noted to play very sad music. He apparently fails to notice that Nubia loves him.
In The Fugitive from Corinth
The Fugitive from Corinth
The Fugitive from Corinth is the 10th book in the popular Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. It is set in Greece in AD 80, between Corinth and Athens...
his family background is revealed. He has a brother, Dion, who has always been envious of his seemingly perfect brother and tries to murder him but injuring Marcus instead. In the final book, "The Man from Pomegranate Street", he confesses his love for Nubia and marries her.
Ascletario
Ascletario is an astrologer in the service of Titus. In The Enemies of Jupiter he acts as the children's guide to Rome, describing and explaining the history and customs of the city. He talks incessantly and has some odd mannerisms which the Jonathan mocks behind his back. He then appears in The man from Pomegranate Street.
Atticus
Atticus is an elderly Greek sailor serving aboard The Delphina, under Marcus Geminus.
Atticus made his first appearance in The Colossus of Rhodes, where it was discovered that he is unable to read or write. He serves mainly as Ship's Cook, and on many occasions his food is described as being sublime. He is one of the few crewmembers who was not suspected by Flavia and her friends, as the culprit would have to be literate. Atticus also assists the captain, Marcus Artorius Bato, and Gaius Valerius Flaccus in subduing the traitor, Zosimus.
During The Fugitive from Corinth, Atticus takes a more major role, serving as the detectives' guide. He has a good head for the geography of his native country and it is revealed that he has a girlfriend named Flora, after whom he named his dagger.
His skills as a cook are mentioned at a higher extent as well as his talent at hunting, causing Jonathan and he to become firm friends. When not pulled back with a sling, Atticus' grey hair is scary, causing a tired Jonathan to believe that he is Medusa. Atticus has appeared in numerous times as a background character.
Atticus has appeared in the following novels in the series:
- The Colossus of RhodesThe Colossus of Rhodes (novel)The Colossus of Rhodes is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. The ninth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in spring AD 80, partly aboard ship in the Mediterranean, partly on the Greek islands of Symi and Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes is a children's...
- The Fugitive from CorinthThe Fugitive from CorinthThe Fugitive from Corinth is the 10th book in the popular Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. It is set in Greece in AD 80, between Corinth and Athens...
- The Sirens of SurrentumThe Sirens of SurrentumThe Sirens of Surrentum is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the eleventh in The Roman Mysteries series.- Plot summary:...
Aulus Cornix
Aulus Caesilius Cornix, a Roman senator, is the husband of Cynthia, sister to Marcus Geminus' deceased wife, Myrtilla, and thus Flavia's uncle. He had a number of children: twelve-year-old Aulus Jr, eight-year-old Hyacinth, six-year-old twins, Quintus and Sextus, five-year-old Rhoda and two unnamed babies.
He and his family had been feuding with the Gemini family for many years when Flavia came to him in need of help for rescuing Jonathan. Although he and the family were away on holiday, his loyal secretary, Sisyphus, assisted the children.
Upon his return, he was healed from the fever by Mordecai, but lost two of his younger children. He announced the feud over between the two respective families, and has received the children as guests on numerous occasions.
Despite certain bouts of pompousness, sexism and arrogance, he really does care about his family. He is a staunch supporter of the Greens chariot racing
Chariot racing
Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death, but generated strong spectator enthusiasm...
team, and despises the Blues, in a fashion similar to his son, Aulus Jr.
Aulus Cornix has appeared in the following novels in the series:
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
Aulus Jr
Aulus Cornix Junior is Flavia's cousin. Pompous and arrogant and very much like his father, twelve-year-old Aulus Jr. is the oldest child of the Cornix family. He is a nemesis of Flavia's and can be a bully towards his siblings as well as the detectives, especially Nubia. Snobbish but reasonably intelligent, he is a firm supporter of the Greens.
Aulus Cornix Junior has appeared in the following novels:
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
B
Bar MnasonBar Mnason is the son of animal trainer, Mnason, and, in a way similar to Nubia, has a gift with animals, notably the lion Monobaz. He befriends Nubia during The Gladiators from Capua
The Gladiators from Capua
The Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
, and assists her, alongside his father, in saving Flavia's life.
Bato
Marcus Artorius Bato is an intelligent magistrate
Roman Magistrates
The Roman Magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate. His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, judge, and the sole commander of the army...
in Ostia who assists the children in their mysteries. Although appearing as a foil for Flavia in The Thieves of Ostia and in The Assassins of Rome (in the latter he arrests Mordecai by mistake), he is a helpful ally to the children in The Colossus of Rhodes. However, in The Slave-girl from Jerusalem he betrays Flavia and her friends while they are pleading a case and Flavia feels he is a traitor. She almost says so to his face, if not for Aristo's intervention.
Berenice
Berenice is a former Jewish queen, the mistress of Titus. She appears in The Enemies of Jupiter and is mentioned in The Assassins of Rome.
Bulbus
The doorslave of the Cornix household, Bulbus is similar to Caudex, although possibly even more unintelligent. In The Assassins of Rome he is said to have "the brain of an onion, a very small onion" by Sisyphus, slave and secretary to Senator Aulus Cornix.
C
CartiliaCartilia Poplicola, also known as Paula, is an apparent widow whom Flavia's much-loved father, Marcus, develops a romantic interest in, much to the horror of Flavia, who does all she can to remove the woman from her and her father's life. Everyone disagrees with Flavia about Cartilia, yet she pays no heed and ensures that Marcus cannot marry Cartilia by producing Cartilia's husband, who is alive and well and who divorced Cartilia and another of his wives as she was incapable of giving him children. Flavia thinks that her father will be relieved to be rid of her, but he is grief-stricken and begins to resent his daughter. When they reunite, Marcus is ready to marry Cartilia but sadly she dies of a fever that is infesting Ostia.
Cartilia appears in:
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
Caudex
Caudex is the door-slave of the Geminus household. Given his name due to his apparent unintelligence (Caudex means blockhead), Caudex is a firm ally of the friends and has saved their lives on many occasions.
In The Gladiators of Capua, arguably Caudex's largest role, it is revealed that he was born in Britannia and sold as a slave during the Roman conquest of Britain
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
. He later trained as a Gladiator in Capua, but could not bring himself to kill. In the same book, he saved Jonathan's life, by surprisingly intelligently infiltrating the arena in which the boy was to be executed. Caudex regards the Geminus family and friends as his familia. His best friend is obviously his female counterpart, Alma, with whom he frequently gossips. He was hit by the fever in December AD 79.
Caudex has appeared in the following novels in the series:
- The Thieves of OstiaThe Thieves of OstiaThe Thieves of Ostia is a 2001 historical novel for children written by Caroline Lawrence, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. It is set in Ostia Antica, the harbour of ancient Rome, in the last month of the reign of emperor Vespasian....
- The Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of Rome is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 17 October 2002 by Orion Books. It is the fourth book of The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in Ostia and Rome in September AD 79...
- The Dolphins of LaurentumThe Dolphins of LaurentumThe Dolphins of Laurentum is a historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on February 6, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the fifth novel in the The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot:...
- The Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
- Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteriesTrimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteriesTrimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries is a collection of stories by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2007 as part of the Roman Mysteries series. The stories are set in Ostia and Rome between AD 79 and AD 81, in the intervals of time between the novels...
Clio
One of the adopted daughter of Rectina who appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius. Named after Clio
Clio
thumb|Clio—detail from [[The Art of Painting|The Allegory of Painting]] by [[Johannes Vermeer]]In Greek mythology, Clio or Kleio, is the muse of history. Like all the muses, she is a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne...
, the Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of History. She is usually seen wearing a bright orange tunic and develops a romantic liking toward Lupus. She is a talkative but adventurous girl and befriends Flavia and the group, despite Flavia's hostility to her at first. Clio is almost killed by the eruption of the volcano after she attempts to rescue her mother and sisters who are trapped in their villa. They all survive, as is revealed in The Assassins of Rome when she visits Lupus, who was concerned enough to ask Felix to find her.
Cordius
Cordius, the richest man in Ostia, is Marcus's patron
Patronage in ancient Rome
Patronage was the distinctive relationship in ancient Roman society between the patronus and his client . The relationship was hierarchical, but obligations were mutual. The patronus was the protector, sponsor, and benefactor of the client...
. He is a very conservative Roman and disapproves of independent women. He is often referred to, but rarely seen. His wife and children were massacred in Germania.
Cynthia
Cynthia Cornix was the sister of Myrtilla Gemina, Flavia's mother, who died in childbirth in the early AD 70s. She married senator Aulus Cornix sometime before AD 68 and gave birth to seven children over the next twelve years. Two of them died in the Great Plague of AD 80.
In "The Gladiators from Capua", it becomes apparent that she has the 'bloodlust', which is why Senator Cornix decides to leave Rome early.
Cynthia Cornix has appeared in the following novels of the series:
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
D
DianaCartilia Poplicola, known as Diana, the sister of Paula and friend of Flavia. She is in love with Aristo and hates Miriam, whom she mistakenly calls 'Melania'. Despite their differences, Diana attends Miriam's funeral. She calls herself 'Diana
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
' after the goddess, as she decides never to get married and she is a keen hunter. In The Beggar of Volubilis she persuades Flavia to join her in taking a vow to the goddess Diana to renounce men.
Domitian
Titus Flavius Domitianus is the Emperor Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
's younger brother. Not much is given of him personally except for his appearance. He is described as good looking, medium height, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He is quite arrogant; "I'm an excellent archer" and he hates his brother Titus; "She [Nubia] had seen the look of pure hatred in his eyes when he looked at Titus"...
E
Dion is Aristo's yonger brother. He appears in the 'The Fugitive from Corinth'. Dion wanted to kill Aristo but accidentally stabs Flavia's father. Dion thinks that the he killed Aristo also thinking that Aristo ghoul is chasing him. At the end of the book Dion falls in love with Megara.F
FelixPublius Pollus Felix a.k.a. the Patron
Patronage in ancient Rome
Patronage was the distinctive relationship in ancient Roman society between the patronus and his client . The relationship was hierarchical, but obligations were mutual. The patronus was the protector, sponsor, and benefactor of the client...
is an extremely wealthy highborn Roman with Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
heritage. He was first encountered in The Pirates of Pompeii
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Pirates of Pompeii is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the third in the Roman Mysteries series.- Plot :...
, where we met his sickly wife Polla, and their pampered daughter Pulchra. He is kind and generous to the four friends, seeming to favour Lupus most of all. He makes them welcome at his villa and gives them expensive gifts. Flavia eventually believes she is falling in love with him and therefore refuses to accept her betrothal to Tranquillus. His spoiled daughter Pulchra then invites the friends back to their home, the Villa Limona, after they saved her from being sold into slavery following the eruption of Vesuvius. In The Assassins of Rome
The Assassins of Rome
The Assassins of Rome is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 17 October 2002 by Orion Books. It is the fourth book of The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in Ostia and Rome in September AD 79...
, after the incident
at Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
's golden house, He and Pulchra come and eat at Jonathan's sucah (The festival of Tabernacles). Flavia still thinks she loves him, but sees him in a different light as an unfaithful womaniser, who has fathered many illegitimate children by the many beautiful slave girls he owns, and also with many of the beautiful widows he entertains. When his wife Polla tries to poison herself in despair, he sees the error of his ways, but many doubt he can remain true to his word. At the end of 'The Sirens of Surrentum', he asks Flavia to join him in his study to thank her in private. However, at one point, he puts his hand on her knee and slowly bends his head towards her, supposedly trying to kiss her. Flavia runs off before he can.
Flaccus appears in
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Pirates of Pompeii is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the third in the Roman Mysteries series.- Plot :...
The Sirens of Surrentum
The Sirens of Surrentum
The Sirens of Surrentum is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the eleventh in The Roman Mysteries series.- Plot summary:...
The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the seventeenth and last in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set immediately after the death of Titus, primarily in the countryside around Rome.-Title:Pomegranate Street is a...
Ferox
Ferox is the guard-dog at Gaius's house.
Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus was a Roman poet who flourished in the "Silver Age" under the emperors Vespasian and Titus and wrote a Latin Argonautica that owes a great deal to Apollonius of Rhodes' more famous epic....
is a friend of Flavia Gemina. Flavia first meets Flaccus in The Colossus of Rhodes when she is sailing to Rhodes on her father's ship. At first she does not like him, saying that he is a "pompous lawyer", and nicknaming him "Floppy". He is also arrogant and rude to her but by the end of the book she is sad to see him leave, as she has seen his true character as a noble, kind, just man. He is also incredibly handsome.
In The Sirens of Surrentum Flavia meets him again but he leaves early with a mission to help Flavia track down a criminal mastermind. Nubia hints that Flaccus may be falling for her. He appears again in The Slave-Girl from Jerusalem, defending Hephzibah in court,and Flavia starts to fall for him. He proposes to her at the beginning of The Beggar of Volubilis, only to be turned down as Flavia has taken a vow of chastity at the temple of Diana. He leaves her with a betrothal ring, in case she changes her mind, and the feathered end of an arrow, as a symbol that she has pierced his heart. At the end of The Beggar of Volubilis, Flavia is tempted to change her mind regarding the proposal of Flaccus. At the end of The Man from Pomegranate Street, Flaccus gets killed in a shipwreck -or at least, that is what Flavia tells everyone. However, it is revealed that he is very much alive and only pretended to die. He and Flavia marry at the end of 'The Man from Pomegranate Street'. His 'new' name being Jason.
G
GaiusGaius Flavius Geminus is Flavia's uncle, twin brother of Marcus Geminus. Flavia and her friends stay at his farm in Stabia in The Secrets of Vesuvius. While there, Jonathan's sister Miriam, known for her beauty, falls in love with Gaius, and they marry in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina. Gaius and his new wife move into a new farm near their new patron, Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
. After losing his wife in childbirth, Gaius is believed to have committed suicide by drowning, but Flavia finds him in The Beggar of Volubilis. On the voyage home they are shipwrecked and he is still missing.
Gaius appears in
The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Secrets of Vesuvius is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the second in the Roman Mysteries series; sequel to The Thieves of Ostia and prequel to The Pirates of Pompeii novels...
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Pirates of Pompeii
The Pirates of Pompeii is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the third in the Roman Mysteries series.- Plot :...
The Dolphins of Laurentum
The Dolphins of Laurentum
The Dolphins of Laurentum is a historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on February 6, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the fifth novel in the The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot:...
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the thirteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007. It is set in December A.D. 80 in and around Ostia, and deals with death, slavery and the Roman legal system.-Plot summary:Jonathan's...
The Beggar of Volubilis
The Beggar of Volubilis
The Beggar of Volubilis is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the fourteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007...
The Scribes from Alexandria
The Scribes from Alexandria
The Scribes from Alexandria is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the fifteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2008. It is set during the reign of Titus, primarily in Roman Egypt.-Plot introduction:...
H
HephzibahHephzibah bat David is The Slave-girl from Jerusalem. She is a childhood friend of Miriam and Miriam enlists Flavia and the others to help her find the man who witnessed her manumission, which is being disputed by Lucius Nonius Celer. She is later accused of triple murder and in the quest to proclaim her innocence, the four friends learn she was present during the fall of Jerusalem and also in the siege of Masada
Masada
Masada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel, on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is best known for the violence that occurred there in the first century CE...
, where she was one of the seven survivors. In her former master's will she receives a legacy which makes her very rich.
Miriam confides in her about her vision of an angel telling her she will die giving birth and asks Hephzibah to look after her babies. In The Beggar of Volubilis she is said to be doing so, having moved into Jonathan's house after Gaius disappears.
Huldah
One of the Jewish handmaidens given to Queen Berenice, along with Susannah the Beautiful, Jonathan's mother. She was thrown out of the Golden House for flirting with the Emperor Titus. She appears in The Assassins of Rome.
Hyacinth
Hyacinth Cornix is the second child of Aulus and Cynthia, and the eldest of the girls. She is the sister of Aulus Jnr and Flavia's cousin. She is temperamental, quite tomboyish and commonly bullied and picked on by her older brother, Aulus Jr. She is very fond of her elder cousin, Flavia.
Hyacinth Cornix appears in the following novels in the series:
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
J
JosephusTitus Flavius Josephus, originally Yoseph ben Matthias, is a former Jewish commander who is now a Roman freedman loyal to Titus. He appears in The Assassins of Rome and The Enemies of Jupiter. He foiled Simeon's and Jonathan's disguise by telling Domitian that Simeon is a Sicarii. In The Enemies of Jupiter Josephus tries to aid Flavia in solving a mystery, but catches the fever and falls unconscious. In fact, Flavia is not sure how much of what he told them was just delirious ranting. He is mentioned in The Slave-girl from Jerusalem as the former owner of Hephzibah and her mother, questioning them about their experiences for his book about the Jewish War.
The historical Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
was present in the siege of Jerusalem and, after Jerusalem fell, came to Rome with Titus.
L
LedaLeda is Pulchra's slave girl. In The Pirates of Pompeii Pulchra treats her with great cruelty, such as locking her in a wooden chest when she 'misbehaves'. At the end of The Pirates of Pompeii Pulchra 'opens her eyes' and she treats Leda better. In Sirens of Surrentum she loves her mistress's father.
Lusca
Lusca, also known as the old woman of Ostia, is a wise woman who lives near the Hydra Fountain in Ostia. She was born in 27 BC, making her 107 years old by the time Flavia visits her in AD 79.
Lysander
Lysander is a Greek friend of Aristo's.
An enigmatic hunter, Lysander often works alongside Aristo and Cartilla 'Diana' Poplicola, whom he secretly loves, despite Diana herself actually loving Aristo. However, in later books it is clear that he has moved on. He has been mentioned many times by Aristo.
Lysander has appeared in the following books:
- The Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of Rome is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 17 October 2002 by Orion Books. It is the fourth book of The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in Ostia and Rome in September AD 79...
- The Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
M
MarcusMarcus Flavius Geminus is Flavia's father. He is a Roman citizen of the equestrian
Equestrian (Roman)
The Roman equestrian order constituted the lower of the two aristocratic classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the patricians , a hereditary caste that monopolised political power during the regal era and during the early Republic . A member of the equestrian order was known as an eques...
class. He is a sea-captain, captaining first his own ship the Myrtilla, later Lupus's ship Delphina. He is absent-minded and generally easy-going. Flavia is his only child. His wife Myrtilla died giving birth to stillborn twins when Flavia was three. He has an identical twin brother, Gaius.
Marcus appears in
The Thieves of Ostia
The Thieves of Ostia
The Thieves of Ostia is a 2001 historical novel for children written by Caroline Lawrence, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. It is set in Ostia Antica, the harbour of ancient Rome, in the last month of the reign of emperor Vespasian....
The Dolphins of Laurentum
The Dolphins of Laurentum
The Dolphins of Laurentum is a historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on February 6, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the fifth novel in the The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot:...
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
The Enemies of Jupiter
The Enemies of Jupiter
The Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
The Gladiators from Capua
The Gladiators from Capua
The Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Fugitive from Corinth
The Fugitive from Corinth
The Fugitive from Corinth is the 10th book in the popular Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. It is set in Greece in AD 80, between Corinth and Athens...
The Sirens of Surrentum
The Sirens of Surrentum
The Sirens of Surrentum is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the eleventh in The Roman Mysteries series.- Plot summary:...
The Charioteer of Delphi
The Charioteer of Delphi
The Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
The Slave-girl from Jerusalem is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the thirteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007. It is set in December A.D. 80 in and around Ostia, and deals with death, slavery and the Roman legal system.-Plot summary:Jonathan's...
The Beggar of Volubilis
The Beggar of Volubilis
The Beggar of Volubilis is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the fourteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007...
The Prophet from Ephesus
The Prophet from Ephesus
The Prophet from Ephesus is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the sixteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set during the reign of Titus, primarily in the Roman province of Asia.-Plot introduction:...
The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the seventeenth and last in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set immediately after the death of Titus, primarily in the countryside around Rome.-Title:Pomegranate Street is a...
Megara
Megara appears in The Fugitive from Corinth, dressed like a beggar, and pretending to be a boy called Nikos. In fact, she is a young, shy and pretty girl who fell in love with Dion, Aristo's brother, even if he did not notice her. She is trying to help him. She does not like Aristo because he is more bright than Dion, and Dion is always abandoned, even if he is very bright too. At the end of the book, everything is cleared up, and Dion finally falls in love with Megara.
Miriam
Miriam bat Mordecai is Jonathan's older sister. She acts as assistant to her doctor father, and later is especially active in caring for pregnant women.
Miriam is extraordinarily beautiful and has many admirers. She is described as pale with long, curly black hair and violet eyes. In The Secrets of Vesuvius, when she is 14, she falls in love with Flavia's uncle Gaius, and they are married in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina. In The Slave-girl from Jerusalem she dies giving birth to twin boys, deliberately refusing to be saved at the cost of their lives after seeing a vision from an angel telling her that her sons will do great things.
Mnason
Mnason is an intelligent animal trainer, who befriends the children in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
after his star lion, Monobaz, gets loose and is recaptured by Nubia. Her lionskin cloak is a reward from him. He has been known to breed lions, ostriches, giraffes and elephants.
He next appears in The Gladiators from Capua, in which he is in charge of supplying and training the beasts for the amphitheatre shows. Alongside his fourteen-year old son, Bar, he assists Nubia and her friends in the finding of Jonathan. Monobaz is one of the star attractions in the show.
Monobaz
Monobaz is a tame and elderly lion with hardly any teeth, owned by animal-trainer, Mnason (see above) and his son, Bar Mnason.
During the Autumn of AD 79, Monobaz escapes into the woods of Ostia, where he is recaptured by Nubia. The skin of his father, who was presumably killed years earlier, is given to Nubia as a cloak, a trophy and a reward.
Monobaz becomes the main attraction in the Games in The Gladiators from Capua
The Gladiators from Capua
The Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
, when he fought against a vicious rabbit in the Amphitheatre. He is, however, used for comic relief, and the rabbit repeatedly jumps in and out of his mouth.
Mordecai
Mordecai ben Ezra, the father of Jonathan and Miriam, is a doctor. Jewish by birth, he is Christian by religion. He is a compassionate and peaceful man. During the Great Revolt he left Jerusalem with his children, believing his wife Susannah to be dead. Her return in The Enemies of Jupiter has not brought him much happiness, as she does not love him and behaves strangely, and the death of his daughter crushes him, as is seen in "Death by Vespasian".
Myrtilla
Myrtilla is the name of Flavia's deceased mother and the wife of Marcus Geminus. Not much is known about her, other than she died giving birth to stillborn twin boys prior to the books. Flavia was three when she lost her mother and cannot remember what she looked like. The only given description of Myrtilla is that she had dark hair. She either once lived in Pompeii or visited it as there is where she met her future husband Marcus. Her sister Cynthia is married to Aulus Cornix and lives in Rome.
The Myrtilla is also the name of the ship Marcus Flavius Geminus (her husband) owned, but it got shipwrecked and so Lupus (in The Dolphins of Laurentum) lent his new ship (previously Venalicius's Vespa but renamed Delphina) to him.
P
PaulaSee Cartilia
Phrixus
Gaius Plinius Phrixus is a former slave of Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
. He was later set free by Gaius Plinius Secundinus and often helps the four friends if they are staying near Laurentum.
Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
is an admiral and famous writer. Flavia meets him in The Secrets of Vesuvius and impresses him with her knowledge of his writings. He later dies as a result of the eruption of Vesuvius.
Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
, Pliny's nephew, is a wealthy young lawyer who becomes a friend of Flavia and the others. He first appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius. He helps Gaius when his farm is destroyed, becoming his patron. In The Slave-girl from Jerusalem Flavia asks him for his legal help, which he is glad to give until unnerved by hearing that the great Quintilian
Quintilian
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing...
will be appearing for the prosecution.
Pistor
Pistor the baker runs the famous bakery in Ostia and is father to Porcius. he appears in a Roman Mysteries short story called The Code of Romulus
The Code of Romulus
The Code of Romulus is a children's novella by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Book Day. It is a re-publication of the short story Bread and Circuses that appeared in the anthology The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunits published in 2003.The story takes...
when Flavia tries to solve the mystery of who is stealing his famous poppy seed rolls. He and his family also make an appearance at Miriam's funeral.
Porcius
Born in AD 69 to a family of bakers, Porcius is the first of the children of Ostia to be captured by the slave-traders led by Magnus. Porcius is rescued by the four friends in The Colossus of Rhodes. He also appeared as a guest in Nubia's birthday party.
Porcius is an ecstatic fan of chariot racing and knows almost as much as there is to know about the sport. He even races his pet mice in a miniature arena.
When Porcius is first mentioned in The Code of Romulus, he is apparently rather fat. By the end of The Colossus of Rhodes, however, he has grown thin and scrawny after being starved by the slave traders. His girth appears to have returned in The Charioteer of Delphi.
Polla
Polla Argentaria is the beautiful wife of Publius Pollius Felix. She suffers from depression and tries to poison herself when she finds out that Felix has fathered many illegitimate slave children.
Pulchra
Polla Felicia Pulchra first appears in The Pirates of Pompeii and is the eldest daughter of the wealthy Roman patron Publius Pollius Felix. When we first meet her she is shown in a bad light as a pampered, snobbish "daddy's girl". Pulchra is of similar age with Flavia being the elder of two months, Jonathan and Nubia, and is described as slim with beautiful golden hair (which she tosses arrogantly when she wants to brag) and wide blue eyes. She is also very pretty, hence her nickname, which means "beautiful" in Latin. According to "The Roman Mysteries Treasury" she was born on the 31 July AD 68, making her slightly older than Nubia.
Pulchra is the daughter of Publius Pollius Felix and his beautiful wife, Polla, who is suffering from post-natal depression when we first meet her. She has two younger sisters named Pollina and Pollinilla. She also has her own personal slave girl named Leda and she treats her with utmost cruelty; beating her frequently and locking her in a wooden chest when she "misbehaves". She is shown as a bit of a snob and looking down on Nubia, since Nubia is still Flavia's slave during this point in the book, and does not even bother to directly talk to her. Despite her stuck-up beliefs, she begins to fall in love with Jonathan from the moment they meet and even gives him a priceless ruby ring from her jewellery box even though they have only known each other ten minutes. Pulchra devotes herself to Jonathan and ignores Flavia, deliberately mispronouncing her name as "Fulvia" and mistaking Lupus for Jonathan's slave. Flavia and Lupus look on Pulchra as a "spoilt little harpy", but do not think her truly wicked until Pulchra whips Nubia and snaps her precious flute in half. Flavia and Pulchra fight violently in the valley overlooking Pulchra's villa and are kidnapped by slave dealers. The two girls make up and Flavia tells Pulchra how much Nubia means to her. Pulchra is then shown in a better light as a lonely girl with no friends as she tells Flavia how lucky she is to have friends. She also has a poor relationship with her family, as her father spends no time with her and her mother is ill. She has no interest in her two sisters, and treats them almost as badly as she treats Leda.
At first Pulchra is displayed as spoiled, cruel and selfish, and also a bit of a snob. She certainly has no sense of humanitarianism as she tells Jonathan that Nubia cannot own a puppy as she is a slave: "Slaves can't own property, they are property." Though later on she is shown as lonely and miserable. The four detectives are the only friends she ever had.
In the television series
Roman Mysteries (TV series)
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour....
, Pulchra is played by Millie Binks.
Like her father she really existed a poem by a man named Statius attets to this
Q
Quintus and SextusQuintus and Sextus Cornix are the six-year-old twin sons of senator Aulus Cornix and the Lady Cynthia. They are extremely boisterous and enjoy gladiatorial combat and chariot races. They have trouble pronouncing almost all words and see Lupus as their role model. They are commonly bullied by their older brother, Aulus Jr.
Quintus and Sextus appear in the following novels in the series:
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
R
RectinaRectina first appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Secrets of Vesuvius is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the second in the Roman Mysteries series; sequel to The Thieves of Ostia and prequel to The Pirates of Pompeii novels...
. She is the wife of Tascius, the wealthy neighbour of Gaius Flavius Geminus. She is a handsome middle-aged woman and the adoptive mother of nine little girls who have been named after the nine Muses. She turns out to be the biological mother of the blacksmith Vulcan and recognises him at first glance during the festival of Vulcan. It is revealed her husband actually stole the infant Vulcan and left him on the riverbank to die, believing that Rectina had been having an affair with Pliny. He believes that the deformed foot Vulcan has is positive proof that the child was never his. When Rectina confronts him about Vulcan being their long-lost son, Tascius flies into a rage and blindly accuses her of being an adultress. Rectina flees heartbroken with their nine daughters to their villa upon the slopes of the volcano.
She reappears with Clio at the end of The Assassins of Rome, and Felix mentions that she and Tascius have adopted two more children, so they have evidently reconciled.
Rhoda
Rhoda Cornix is the five-year=old daughter of senator Aulus Cornix and Lady Cynthia and since the death of her little sisters, is the baby of the family once more. She is very fond of dogs and loves her older cousin, Flavia as well as Nubia. Rhoda is picked on by her older brother, Aulus Jr., in a way similar to Hyacinth, Quintus and Sextus. Flavia is her role-model.
Rhoda Cornix has appeared in the following novels in the series:
- The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
- The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
- The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
Rizpah
Rizpah, an eight-year old slave in Nero's Golden House, befriends Jonathan when he is enslaved there. An expert at sneaking and spying, she is a valuable ally to Jonathan and leads him to his mother. Her white hair, pink eyes and sensitivity to light suggest she has albinism
Albinism
Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...
. She was born in the Golden House, and her catchphrase is notably Here I was born, and here I shall die.
She returns later in The Enemies of Jupiter when she shows Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus the Ark of Covenant. Simeon was to marry her mother Rachel, and she grieves as much as Jonathan when he dies of the fever.
S
ScopasScopas appears in The Charioteer of Delphi
The Charioteer of Delphi
The Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
. Scopas is Flavia's and Nubia's friend in Rome who races chariots. He has autism, a condition not diagnosed in Roman times, so the friends think he is strange. However, Nubia likes him and one of the horses he races, a dark stallion called Pegasus. At the end of the novel, Scopas wins his very first race in Rome, a thing that is almost unheard of. The twins, Quintus and Sextus mistakenly call him Scorpus
Scorpus
Scorpus was a famous charioteer in Roman times who lived at the end of the 1st century AD. Scorpus rode for the Green faction during his lifetime and accumulated 2,048 victories. As one of the most famous drivers in Roman history, Scorpus earned extraordinarily large amounts of money; his income...
, causing everyone else in the hippodrome to call him that. Scopas says that: "Scorpus can be my new name for my new life", mimicking a phrase that Nubia uses.
Scuto
Scuto is Flavia's dog. He was beaten before he joined their household, but is now happy and confident.
Sextus
Sextus was one of the sailors on Marcus's old ship, the Myrtilla, when it sunk. However, he survived and found refuge in Rhodes. He was contacted by the slave-trader Magnus and was offered money if he could stop Flavia, Marcus and the rest of the Delphina's (the name of Marcus's new ship) crew from stopping Magnus. Sextus agreed and then tied up Flavia, Johnathan and Nubia on the Delphina. He planned to use it to sell them and the other kidnapped children around the Roman empire. But he is caught and arrested by the vigiles.
Sextus first appears in The Thieves of Ostia, but his main appearance is in The Colossus of Rhodes.
Simeon
Simeon ben Jonah is Jonathan's uncle, Susannah's brother. He appears in The Assassins of Rome. A former Sicari now a slave in Corinth, he has been hired by Berenice to assassinate her rival Susannah the Beautiful, who he guesses is his sister. Determined to protect her from the two other assassins, he journeys to Rome with Jonathan. After some misadventures, he is appointed steward of the Golden House by Titus.
He falls in love with Rachel, Rizpah's mother, but before they can marry dies of the fever (The Enemies of Jupiter).
Sisyphus
Aulus Caesilius Sisyphus is a Greek freedman and scribe to Aulus Caesilius Cornix and friend of Flavia Gemina. He is interested in the mysteries Flavia and her friends solve and tries to help out in them. He is rather vain and fastidious.
Sisyphus first appears in The Assassins of rome.
Susannah
Susannah bat Jonah, known as Susannah the Beautiful, is Jonathan's mother. She remained behind in Jerusalem when Mordecai and the children left, leading them to believe she had been killed. In fact she stayed to be with her first love, Jonathan the Zealot, and because her father, a Jewish priest, disapproved of her husband's conversion to Christianity and his "cowardice" in refusing to fight the Romans. Her parents and Jonathan died in the siege and she was enslaved, becoming a handmaiden to Berenice in the Golden House
Domus Aurea
The Domus Aurea was a large landscaped portico villa, designed to take advantage of artificially created landscapes built in the heart of Ancient Rome by the Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome had cleared away the aristocratic dwellings on the slopes of the Palatine...
. After Berenice's departure, she befriends Titus, who shows interest in her faith and her opinions. After being found by Jonathan in The Assassins of Rome, she tells him she has thought of him every day since they parted, but she cannot come back with him as Titus needs her.
In The Enemies of Jupiter she returns to live with her family. However, she has a separate room from Mordecai. She appears to be restless and spends a lot of time wandering around Ostia.
T
TaharqoTaharqo is Nubia's eldest brother. He is a gladitator and the only other surviving member of Nubia's family. He is re-united with his sister in The Gladitators of Capua and almost set free but refuses, saying 'Free? When I can be with pretty girls here?'. He only appears in one book.
Tigris
Tigris is Jonathan's dog, the brother of Nipur (Nubia's dog)
Titia
Titia is Porcius' sister. She is about fifteen and is cross-eyed - a flaw which means she will probably never get a husband. Porcius tells Flavia that she is in love with Aristo.But in the end marry's Silvanus, who helped them in the colossus of Rhodes because Porcius gets kidnapped and he was in love with Titia.
Tranquillus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is briefly Flavia's betrothed in The Sirens of Surrentum. He is a cheery boy who likes to laugh, though he seems snobbish at first. The betrothal is canceled by his father just when he and Flavia have started to get on with each other and it seems the marriage could have worked. He is quite a cheeky boy, as is shown when he tries to persuade Lupus and Jonathan to take a boat out and spy on naked women (Flavia, Nubia, Pulchra and the other female house guests in The Sirens of Surrentum) as it is "suspicious". Lupus agrees quickly, but Jonathan refuses, saying, "You just want to spy on naked women". The plan fails as their boat gets caught on the rocks. He also appears in The Man from Pomegrate street. He tells Flavia that they should be together again and then he kisses her, she kisses him back.
V
VenaliciusAn evil, cruel and impossibly horrible slave trader who plies his work in the port of Ostia. Flavia fears him dreadfully and he often makes threats to her that one day he will enslave her and sell her abroad where no one will ever see her again.
Later in the series it is revealed that he is the uncle of Lupus who, after murdering his own brother, Alexandros, in a mad fit of jealous rage, cut out Lupus's tongue to stop him telling the tale. He shares his life story with Jonathan's father Mordecai when they share a cell. He reveals that his name is really Philippos and he has been badly treated by everyone all through his life due to his ugliness and the only one who truly loved him was his mother, who died giving birth to Alexandros when Philippos was seven, hence why he loathed him so. Then his father sold him to slave traders saying he needed the money. Venalicius vowed revenge. He returned to his family home where he saw his childhood love and only friend, Melissa, now a beautiful young woman with a husband and son. Her husband was Alexandros. Philippos went mad and killed his brother, made Lupus mute and abducted him to Ostia. He later feels remorse and guilt over his cruelty and dies after battling a giant octopus. He leaves all his worldly goods to Lupus and dies in Miriam's arms; in his delirious state he believes she is his beloved mother come back to care for him.
'Venalicius' is the Latin for slave-dealer.
Vibia
Vibia is the mother of Cartilia and Diana. She is well-read, and has tried without success to interest her daughters in the classics. She is naturally grey-haired, but wears an elegant wig.
Vulcan
A handsome sixteen-year-old blacksmith and Christian
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
who travels through Pompeii with his donkey. His name is in fact Pulbius, but due to his trade and his deformed foot he is nicknamed Vulcan
Vulcan (mythology)
Vulcan , aka Mulciber, is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes in ancient Roman religion and Roman Neopaganism. Vulcan is usually depicted with a thunderbolt. He is known as Sethlans in Etruscan mythology...
after the lame god, which he detests but puts up with anyway. He, like so many others, becomes entranced by Miriam's beauty and makes her a silver bracelet as a token of his affections. He turns out to be the long-lost son of Rectina and her husband, who left him to die on the banks of a nearby river when he believed that Rectina had been having an affair with Pliny. However a slave girl found him and took him to her master, who allowed one of his freed slaves to raise him as his own. Vulcan is a solemn, subdued boy who rarely smiles but is very kind-hearted and understands morals a lot better than Flavia or her friends do. When he asks Flavia what her ideal treasure is, she replies material goods. He is disgusted.
X
XanthusXanthus was a slave to Gaius Flavius Geminus. He was the farm manager and debuted in The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Secrets of Vesuvius
The Secrets of Vesuvius is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the second in the Roman Mysteries series; sequel to The Thieves of Ostia and prequel to The Pirates of Pompeii novels...
. Xanthus, however, later dies.