Ancient Rome Booklist

World History > Classical Age > Ancient Rome (800 BCE-600 CE)

Ancient Rome is Roman civilization from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, encompassing the Roman Kingdom (753 BC–509 BCE), Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BCE) and Roman Empire (27 BCE–476 CE) until the fall of the western empire. The civilization began as an Italic settlement in the Italian Peninsula, traditionally dated to 753 BCE, that grew into the city of Rome and which subsequently gave its name to the empire over which it ruled and to the widespread civilization the empire developed. The civilization was led and ruled by the Romans, alternately considered an ethnic group or a nationality. The Roman Empire expanded to become one of the largest empires in the ancient world, still ruled from the city, with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world's population at the time) and covering 5 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles) at its height in 117 CE.

Plagued by internal instability and attacked by various migrating peoples, the western part of the empire broke up into independent barbarian kingdoms in the 5th century. The eastern part of the empire remained a power through the Middle Ages until its fall in 1453 CE.

Book recommendations pertaining to Ancient Rome.

Book Title	Author	PubDate	Reading Age	Time Period	Time Frame	Geographic Area	Country	Topic	Genre	Format
Evil Roman Emperors	Barlag, Phillip	2021	A	Classical Age	616 BCE - 455 CE	Europe	Italy	Roman Emperors	NF	B
City	Macaulay, David	1983	LE MG	Classical Age	300 BCE - 150 CE	Europe	Italy	Building	F	PB
Life as a Gladiator: An Interactive History Adventure	Burgan, Michael	2010	MG	Classical Age	264 BCE - 404 CE	Europe	Italy	Roman Gladiators	NF	CB
Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare	Brooks, Phillip	2015	UMG YA	Classical Age	247-183 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Legion	NF Bio	CB
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Soldier	Stewart, Dave	2016	LE MG	Classical Age	113 BCE - 596 CE	Europe	Italy	Roman Legion	NF	PB
The First Man in Rome	McCullough, Colleen	1990	A	Classical Age	110–100 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Republic	F	N
Julius Caesar: Dictator For Life	Rinaldo, Denise	2010	UMG YA	Classical Age	100-44 BCE	Europe	Italy	Julius Caesar Roman Emperors	NF Bio	CB
The Grass Crown	McCullough, Colleen	1991	A	Classical Age	97–86 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Republic	F	N
Fortune's Favorites	McCullough, Colleen	1993	A	Classical Age	83–69 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Republic	F	N
The Ancient Ocean Blues	Mitchell, Jack	2008	UMG	Classical Age	80 BCE	Europe	Italy	Julius Caesar Roman Emperors	F	CB
Caesar's Women	McCullough, Colleen	1997	A	Classical Age	67–59 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Republic	F	N
Caesar	McCullough, Colleen	1998	A	Classical Age	54–48 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Republic Roman Emperors	F	N
The October Horse	McCullough, Colleen	2002	A	Classical Age	48–41 BCE	Europe	Italy	Roman Republic	F	N
Antony and Cleopatra	McCullough, Colleen	2007	A	Classical Age	41–27 BCE	Europe	Italy Egypt	Roman Republic	F	N
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Roman Gladiator	Stewart, Dave	2016	LE MG	Classical Age	1-100	Europe	Italy	Roman Gladiators	NF	PB
Tiger, Tiger	Reid Banks, Lynne	1956	UMG YA	Classical Age	3	Europe	Italy	Julius Caesar	F	CB
The Confessions of Young Nero	George, Margaret	2002	A	Classical Age	37–54	Europe	Italy	Nero Roman Emperors	F Bio	N
Detectives in Togas	Winterfeld, Henry	1953	MG UMG	Classical Age	40	Europe	Italy	Ancient Rome	F	CB
Mark of the Thief	Nielsen, Jennifer A.	2015	MG UMG	Classical Age	50	Europe	Italy	Praetor War Roman Slaves	F HF	CB
The Splendor Before the Dark: A Novel of the Emperor Nero	George, Margaret	2018	A	Classical Age	54–68	Europe	Italy	Nero	F Bio	N
Pompeii... Buried Alive!	Kunhardt, Edith	1987	LE	Classical Age	79	Europe	Italy	Volcano Natural Disasters	NF	ER
You Wouldn't Want to Live in Pompeii	Malam, John	2017	LE MG	Classical Age	79	Europe	Italy	Volcano Natural Disasters	NF	PB
The Secrets of Vesuvius	Bisel, Sara	1993	MG UMG	Classical Age	79	Europe	Italy	Volcano Natural Disasters Archaeology	NF	PB CB
The Thieves of Ostia	Lawrence, Caroline	2001	UMG	Classical Age	79	Europe	Italy	Ancient Rome	F	CB
Eagle of the Ninth	Sutcliff, Rosemary	1954	UMG YA	Classical Age	100	Europe	Italy Great Britain	Roman Legion	F	N
Roman Diary	Platt, Richard	2009	MG	Classical Age	107	Europe	Italy Greece	Roman Slaves	F	CB
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine	Bendick, Jeanne	2008	UMG	Classical Age	129-216	Europe	Italy	Medicine	NF Bio	CB
24 Hours in Ancient Rome	Matyszak, Philip	2017	YA A	Classical Age	137	Europe	Italy	Daily Life Ancient Rome	NF	B

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List of abbreviations:

Reading Age	Genre	Format
LE = lower elementary MG = middle grade (8-12 yrs.) UMG = upper-middle grade (11-14 yrs.) YA = young adult (14+) A = adult (18+)	NF - non fiction F = fiction Bio = biography HF = historical fantasy AH = alternate history OV - own voices M = mythology S = spine book	PB = picture book GN = graphic novel ER = early reader CB = chapter book B = book (NF) N = novel M = memoir