The stories are told in first-person form by Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger (born c 90-95 BC), nephew ofMetellus Pius and member of the powerfulCaecilius Metellus family of theRoman Senate. The stories are told in flashback-form by the old Decius, writing during the reign ofAugustus Caesar. The stories range from 70 BC (The King's Gambit) to 20 BC ("The King of Sacrifices"), and have both an exciting and comedic tone.
Decius' companions include his slaves Cato, Cassandra, and Hermes; his friends, the Greekgladiatorial physician Asklepiodes and the gangster/politicianTitus Annius Milo; and his staunch enemies, the siblingsClodia andClodius. Along the way, he is often helped by his father, as well as byCicero and a youngJulius Caesar. In later books, Decius is betrothed and then married to the (fictional) niece of Caesar, Julia Caesaris. The dates are all listed at the end of each book in theab urbe condita calendar system.
In 2015, a German company had planned to adapt the series for TV,[1][2] however, they have withdrawn from the project in 2022 for financial reasons.
The River God's Vengeance (53 BC): Decius investigates a collapsedinsula, uncovering systematic fraud in the construction trade.[10]
The Princess and the Pirates (51 BC): Decius investigates the murder of his host, the Roman governor ofCyprus, while on the island to deal with an upsurge inpiracy. The eponymous princess is the youngCleopatra VII of Egypt.[11]
A Point of Law (51–50 BC): While running for election to the office ofpraetor, Decius must deal with accusations that he murdered a man who had threatened to denounce him for actions he took while on Cyprus the previous year.
Oracle of the Dead (50 BC). Aspraetor peregrinus, Decius investigates the murders of a group of priests of Apollo during the period just before Caesarcrosses the Rubicon.[13]
The Year of Confusion (46–45 BC): During Caesar'sdictatorship, Decius is commissioned to oversee the adoption of Caesar'snew calendar, and investigates the murders of several astronomers who developed it.[14]
Dolabella (unfinished as of Roberts's death in 2024)
The series also includes the following short stories, in chronological order:
"The Statuette of Rhodes" (60 BC): Decius finds a corpse at the base of theColossus of Rhodes.[15]
"Mightier Than the Sword" (53 BC): Decius investigates the murder of a victim found in the basement of a townhouse in Rome.[16]
"The Etruscan House" (52 BC): Decius investigates a senator's murder.[17]
"An Academic Question" (51 BC): Decius investigates a murder during his visit to Athens mentioned as part of his leisurely trip to Cyprus at the beginning of "The Princess and the Pirates"[18]
"Venus in Pearls" (46 BC): Caesar hires Decius to locate his stolen breastplate before his Pompeiantriumph[19]
"Beware the Snake" (45 BC): Decius must locate the missing sacred snake of theMarsi.[20]
"The Will" (44 BC): Decius investigates Caesar's will following hisassassination.[21]
"The King of Sacrifices" (20 BC): An elderly Decius investigates the death of a candidate forRex Sacrorum[22]
Roberts also wrote a short story, "The Mountain Wolves", which is also set in ancient Rome, but is not part of the SPQR series.[23]
The above dates are approximate because there is contradictory information within the texts.
For instance, inThe Sacrilege, which can be dated at 62 BC, Decius claims to be turning 29, indicating he was born in 91 BC; however, inThe Tribune's Curse, he finds that he was born in the same year asMarcus Porcius Cato (95 BC). Confusingly, however, in the same book, Cato claims to have been born "whenValerius andHerennius were consuls.", which was 93 BC.
In "The King of Sacrifices", dated at 20 BC, Decius claims to be in his 73rd year, indicating he was born in either 93 or 92 BC. However, in the story itself Julia is claimed to be "betrothed" to Agrippa, whom she married 21 BC, i.e. at least one year earlier.
TheAUC dates given inThe Sacrilege,The Temple of the Muses and "The Statuette of Rhodes" are clearly erroneous.
The Sacrilege has a clear external date and there is a strong indication that "Statuette" takes place in the same year asSaturnalia.
Roberts has noted that events inThe Year of Confusion have been modified for dramatic effect.
