Exile was a very Roman punishment, Fiona Forsyth says. But under Augustus it got personal. Fiona looks at the fate of the lost Romans who lived — and often died — in exile, including members of the Emperor’s own family, and the poet Ovid, subject of her latest novels. When Rome’s first emperor died, there […]
Written in Blood by Fiona Forsyth
Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, is dead. The Empire’s new leader, Tiberius, is vulnerable. As mutinous legions rise and Tiberius struggles to control even his own formidable mother, Livia, the ripples of uncertainty reach even the shores of Tomis on the Black Sea. There, the exiled poet Ovid dares to hope that a new emperor will […]
Field of Blood by Anthony Riches
Following the Year of the Five Emperors, three are left in the field. A final bloody confrontation is inevitable as the ruthless Septimius Severus advances through Cappadocia and Cilicia on the heels of the retreating legions of the Emperor in the East, Percennius Niger. Co-opted into Severus’s legions are two veterans who, after long service, […]
Historical books to look out for in 2026
Welcome to Historia’s most popular regular feature, our round-up of historical books published by members of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) to look out for this year. In 2026, there are more than 130 books so far — historical fiction, history, and biography. They range from Ancient Greece and Rome to the mid-20th century via the Viking […]
Sacrifice by Griff Hosker
In the heart of a fractured Rome, as Pompey the Great triumphs in Hispania against a sea of rebellion, a fire stirs on the slopes of Vesuvius. Here, in the shadow of the mighty volcano, an unprecedented alliance of slaves and gladiators dares to challenge the very foundations of power. Their thirst for freedom is […]
Tiberius: 2,000 years of slander
The historian Lindsay Powell revisits the ancient sources and comes to a different conclusion about Tiberius Caesar, revealing a 2,000-year-old story of slander against Rome’s second emperor. Something strange happens in the mind of a historian while doing research about long dead people. Printed words evoke feelings, photographs morph into flesh, and unfamiliar names take […]
Tiberius by Lindsay Powell
History has not been kind to the memory of Tiberius Caesar (42BC to AD37), second emperor of the Romans. His reputation for capable generalship and sensible civic leadership are marred by reports of cruelty, treason trials and sexual depravity. Some historians have described him as a ‘tyrant’ or even a ‘monster’. But does he deserve […]
The Heir of Venus by Laura Shepperson
Aeneas, the son of Venus, is destined for greatness, prophesised to father a people who will one day rule the world. But behind every great man are the women the prophecies forget. Creusa, Dido and Lavinia will never meet, yet they are united by the ambitions of one man whose life is pre-ordained to collide […]