Roma Novan family trees

The principal families in my Roma Nova families are the Mitelae, the Tellae and the Apuliae, so as we approach publication of the fourth book, I thought I’d do some diagrams to clarify how they interrelate.

Language note: Latin is inflected, i.e. it changes the ending of nouns and adjectives depending on the word’s place […]

Roman forearm handshake - true gesture or Hollywood codswallop?

Welcome to the home of the Roma Nova thrillers. Please look around while you are here.

When two people meet formally for the first time, it’s customary to shake hands. Similarly, it’s something you do on parting, offering congratulations, expressing gratitude, or completing an agreement. In sports or other competitive activities, it’s also done as […]

Lupercalia – Not an ancestor of Valentine's Day

Lupercales, Andrea Camassei (1602-1649), Prado Museum

Mid February, the time of roses and chocolate when romance is in the air… And isn’t it the quaint descendant of the old Roman festival of Lupercalia?

Er, no. ‘Quaint’ is definitely not the word.

In AD 495, Christian bishop of Rome, Gelasius, finally managed to […]