Rome. Roma. The mere name conjures up so many images, yet when it comes to ancient history, I’ve somewhat failed my children in the past. After the romantic mythology of the Greeks, the offerings of Rome seem somewhat hollow. I dream of the days discussing Greek philosophy with my children, grown to teens, but the prose and histories and Roman government seem so much drier in comparison.
Perhaps this admission scandalizes those of you more learned than I. In any case, to mollify them and inspire any other homeschoolers out there who similarly falter when turning to Rome in our ancient studies, here are some ideas and titles to spark some additional magic and deep thought.
1. Favorite Fiction & Classic Gems for the Students
The Roman Mysteries
By Caroline Lawrence
This is perhaps my daughter’s favorite historical fiction series. Currently comprising 17 volumes, this series describes the adventures of a group of friends as they solve mysteries around the Roman empire. Full of drama and excitement, this series targets middle schoolers predominately but is accessible to older elementary students and could be enjoyed by high schoolers as well. A TV series inspired by these books is also available on Amazon.
City
By David Macauley
An avid fan of Macauley, I always include one of his detailed, illustrated books in my ancient history units. This edition focuses on the mechanics of building a Roman city and, of course, features intricate pencil sketches of the architectural plans of the city, and its stages of development. Specific Roman engineering, such as the creation of aqueducts, is also examined.
Augustus Caesar’s World
By Genevieve Foster
Author Genevieve Foster brings history to life as she mixes fun doodles and illustrations with historic episodes from the ancient Roman empire. Her stories also branch out to other sectors of the world, so students are informed on what was brewing in other countries and regions. Her prose makes for a delightful read-aloud, or an engaging storybook-formatted alternative to a traditional historical text.
Aeneas or The Aeneid for Boys and Girls
By Emily Frenkel / Alfred Church
Both of these are superb re-tellings of Virgil’s epic for a younger audience and could be utilized in middle school or high school. The beauty of the original text cannot be substituted but a younger student can more easily access these books. The first is an exciting, easy-to-read version of the poem while the second is older and remains very close to the original; essentially, it is the poem retold in prose. While I admire both, I chose the first one for my 5th grader and opted to save Church’s version for the beginning of high school. Do not be deterred by the strange illustrations of Frenkel’s book; the writing, itself, is engaging and well crafted.
Parents interested in adapted historical classics should also review The Children’s Plutarch and Herodotus for Boys and Girls.
Detectives in Togas
By Henry Winterfield
This is another romping, middle school adventure as seven classmates enjoy life and solve dilemmas in ancient Rome with the help of their tutor. The sequel Roman Ransom continues the adventures and features the boys’ attempt to thwart an assassination attempt on one of the Roman senators.
Shapeshifters
By Adrian Mitchell
My children love the illustrations in this book. Different from the famous, lithograph style of the D’Aulaires, these romantic and Renaissance-style paintings depict scenes from some of Ovid’s most famous Metamorphoses tales. If your child is familiar with the Greek myths, they will recognize these stories, retold utilizing the names of the Roman gods and goddesses. Please note that these versions have not completely been adapted for younger ears. A poem on Tiresieas is titled “Sex Changer” and it is briefly noted that the queen of Crete made love to a bull, resulting in the conception and birth of the Minotaur. The stories are well-written by British actor Adrian Mitchell, but I prefer to still rely on D’Aulaire’s more poetic mythology for the whole family and then excerpts from the original Metamorphoses text as students grow, using Mitchell’s volume as a beautiful supplement.
The Roman News
By Andrew Langley
This edition of the graphic novel series features “Caesar Stabbed!” as the headline and includes reports of Vesuvius erupting, the building of the Colosseum, and a humorous advice column seeking help for young Roman women. The History News books appear as comic books or graphic novels, but are formatted as a newspaper page would be. While the news is not presented chronologically, the visual spread is engaging and exciting, and the book features an innovative way to learn about the important events and every day life for those in ancient Rome.
Spartacus / Fabiola
By Howard Fast / Nicholas Wiseman
There are some wonderful, high school/adult level novels placed in ancient Rome. Often romanticized, these books nevertheless grasp the sweeping grandeur of the times and explore the tensions that must have built as Christianity began to encroach on pagan territories of thought. Lew Wallace’s Ben Hur and Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Quo Vadis are long epics, but completion of these long narratives can also be crowned by viewing the award winning classic movies.
The most popular and acclaimed novel in this genre though is Howard Fast’s Spartacus and my personal favorite is Fabiola. The bearer of the title is St. Agnes’s cousin, and as the reader accompanies her journey to faith, he will also meet St. Sebastian and St. Tarcisius, and be caught up into the drama, romantic interests, and coming of age struggles they undergo. This is one of those books that instills delight as pieces from various legends fit perfectly together to complete a fascinating narrative.
2. Fun Activity Books
What would homeschooling be without sticker books, puzzles, coloring books, and engaging hands-on activities? My children love when I pull out one of these every couple of weeks to reignite our interest in this era as we move through our texts and read-alouds.
3. Curriculum Guides
For those seeking texts to help guide their ancient history studies, Memoria Press is a wonderful resource. Their Famous Men of Rome, a reprint of an older text, features the short biographies of famous Romans through its origin, republic, and empire. While this text is targeted at late elementary and middle school ages, it can also be used for early high schoolers. The recommended high school text from this publisher is The Book of the Ancient Romans. Student guides are available for both titles.
If you take a more Charlotte Mason approach and are focusing solely on primary texts, check out The Children’s Plutarch and Herodotus for Boys and Girls for your middle school scholars, or Plutarch’s Lives, The Histories (Herodotus), and The Rise of the Roman Empire (Polybius) for your high schoolers.
The Story of the World: Vol. I and The Story of Civilization: Vol. I can be great comprehensive, read aloud texts for the whole family. Audio versions are available for both. You might also want to consider utilizing the first half of Hillyer’s A Child’s History of the World. Any of these books could easily be complemented by the biographical texts mentioned above or historical fiction to fill out a literature and history curriculum. For amazing hands-on crafts and activities, check out Project Passport: Ancient Rome.
Another remarkable resource is the comprehensive Old Western Culture literature and humanities course for high schoolers, which features the Romans in Year 2. Online discussions and classes are also available to accompany your student through these important texts by Virgil, Livy, Plutarch, and the early Church fathers.
4. Reads for Mom and Dad
Sometimes I’m inspired to accompany my children when I reach for a historical fiction novel of my own. Here are a few more options for you, in addition to the classics recommended for high schoolers above.
A Pillar of Iron – By Taylor Caldwell
Critics of Caldwell may describe this account as being too colored by Caldwell’s Christianity or conservatism, but they miss the two-fold purpose of the novel. This beautifully written fictional account of Cicero’s life serves as both an exploration of his writings and Roman times, as well as a critique upon flaws found in our current society.
The Ides of March – Thornton Wilder
This interesting book departs from Wilder’s more common style. Composed of a series of journal entries and letters by Julius Caesar and his contemporaries, it presents an interesting examination of this great hero’s strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and triumphs. The novel is fictional, yet draws the author’s historical research.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses – Trans. by A. D. Melville
If you haven’t taken up ancient Roman literature yourself, Ovid’s poetry is an easy and beautiful piece to begin your own study. The myths are short and beautifully translated by Melville (less flowery translations are available by Martin or Raeburn, if you prefer). Whereas one might feel guilty for not pursuing the Aeneid to its end within a certain time-frame, Ovid’s poems can also be enjoyed intermittingly at your own pleasure.
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If you’re looking for an easier, more popular book, you might want to check out Robert Harris’s Imperium or Pompeii. Harris’s prose is very approachable and modern, but he has researched to back up his analysis of Roman politics in the former book and the workings of the aqueducts in the latter. Due to some sexual scenes (albeit brief) in his novels, though, I would not recommend passing them off to your students.
For an indulgent, escape read, I’ve enjoyed Francine Rivers’ Christian romance trilogy, Mark of the Lion. It’s an easy, romanticized yet still inspirational novel written in imitation of the greater classics Quo Vadis and The Robe.
