Welcome to the Masters of Rome website. This site describes the history of late Republican Rome, as depicted in the series of novels by Colleen McCullough:

• First Man in Rome
• The Grass Crown
• Fortune's Favourites [not yet included]
• Caesar's Women [not yet included]
• Caesar [not yet included]
• The October Horse? [planned]

The late Republic was a time when external threats and the demands of a growing Empire were straining the Roman system of government to breaking point. This led to the rise of a succession of military strong men and ultimately to the imperial system of government.

This site tries to provide readers of the books with

• a synopsis of the events in the books, particularly the various wars and conflicts
• a summary of the characters, that appear in the books and their relationships
• some background material to extend readers' understanding of the events in the books.

In some areas I have supplemented the contents of the books with information from other sources. I hope that this resource will enrich the enjoyment of everyone reading the books, especially if not reading them in order, or reading them separated by long intervals. Not everyone can later remember why Metellus Numidicus went into exile, who Marcus Furius was or when Scaurus married Dalmatica.

This site does not analyse the characters' motivation. It is not intended as literary criticism, just a summary of the events and relationships.