検索キーワード： 古代

55 a.C. Quando le navi della flotta romana giungono sulla costa di una terra sconosciuta, si ritrovano a dover fronteggiare un'armata di guerrieri autoctoni, talmente feroci da intimorire le truppe di Cesare. Soltanto l'aquilifero della Decima Legione, Lucio Petrosidio ha il coraggio di lanciarsi nelle fredde acque dell'oceano, e l'aquila del suo vessillo guida la legione degli immortali nell'assalto. Lucio e i suoi compagni d'armi, Massimo, Quinto, Valerio sono gli eroi che si batteranno nella conquista della Britannia, nel nome di Roma e di Cesare.

"Mosè, primo alpinista, è in cima al Sinai. Inizia così il suo corpo a corpo con la più potente manifestazione della divinità.". Erri De Luca racconta l'eroe Mosè con la grazia del grande scrittore che reimmagina, attraverso la Scrittura, la grandezza sofferente dell'uomo alla guida di un popolo in fuga. "E disse": con questo verbo la divinità crea e disfa, benedice e annulla. Dal Sinai che scatarra esplosioni e fiamme, vengono scandite le sillabe su pietra di alleanza. Nell'impeto di un'ora di entusiasmo un popolo di servi appena liberati si sobbarca di loro.

Ostia, 284 d.C. Muzio Cremuzio è chiamato a risolvere l'omicidio di una giovane asinella trovata morta da Augurino nel cortile di una taverna. Mentre si avvicina per esaminare il corpo, Muzio sente una guardia gridare che c'è un altro corpo nel cortile, ma all'improvviso il cadavere si muove e si rivela essere un uomo cieco a cui gli dèi hanno donato il potere di evocare i defunti. Muzio lo incoraggia quindi a parlare con la giovane ragazza appena morta per farsi dire chi è l'assassino, ma Zeusippo, questo è il nome del negromante, confessa che può comunicare solo con spiriti.

126 d.C. Quando la costruzione del Vallo di Adriano è ormai prossima alla fine, una minaccia oscura incombe dalle terre del Nord. Il tempo del dialogo è tramontato: ogni speranza di pace è stata troncata dal sibilo crudele delle asce. La confederazione dei pitti si prepara a muovere contro le legioni di Roma, decisa a soffocarle nel sangue. In bilico tra due mondi incapaci di conciliarsi, Annio, Giulia, Deirdre e Drest vivranno ore disperate, in cui ciascuno di loro dovrà scegliere una volta per tutte da che parte stare.

124 d.C. Mentre "il Vallo di Adriano" s'innalza sempre più maestoso a separare la brughiera del sud dalle foreste inaccessibili del nord, la tensione tra Annio, Giulia e Deirdre sembra ormai prossima al punto di rottura. Le legioni di Roma sono messe a dura prova, tra attacchi sanguinosi, campagne di riconquista e rivolte di popoli che reclamano la libertà. Tuttavia una nuova speranza inizia a germogliare tra le ceneri, là dove "i canti della Britannia" evocano il sogno di una terra in cui tutti possano convivere.

La repubblica romana è ormai un'istituzione fragile e precaria, da anni oggetto di contesa tra uomini spregiudicati e ambiziosi, che si combattono con i loro eserciti sui campi di battaglia, ma anche con le clientele e fiumi di denaro nell'agone politico. Il popolo è stritolato dai debiti, oppresso dalle ingiustizie, diviso dalle discriminazioni. In questo panorama, si fa largo Lucio Sergio Catilina, disposto a tutto pur di raggiungere quel potere che a un nobile decaduto come lui sarebbe precluso.

Zehn Jahre dauerte es, bis Troja durch Odysseus' List erobert wurde - zehn weitere Jahre benötigt er, um in seine Heimat Ithaka zurückzukehren. Zahlreiche Prüfungen werden ihm von den Göttern auferlegt, ehe er endlich nach Hause findet. Das weltberühmte Epos - ungekürzt gelesen von David Nathan.

In the stratified world of ancient Rome, there are citizens and slaves, soldiers and senators, priests and priestesses - and Caesar Augustus rules them all. Yet his authority holds only as long as the people believe the gods of Rome support him, particularly the beloved goddess of the home and hearth, Vesta. As chief Vestal Virgin, Pomponia continues to devote her life to protecting her order and the eternal flame of Vesta. She has risen to a position of esteem in Rome and is a valued member of Caesar’s inner circle. But now a contagion ravages the city and tension rises....

Welcome to ancient Rome, where the steps of the Forum are peopled by nubile slave girls and a range of outrageous characters including Lurcio’s owner, Ludicrus Sextus the senator, his wife, Ammonia, his son, Nausius, and his daughter, Erotica. Lurcio attempts to deliver his prologue and begin proceedings before he’s quickly caught up in the myriad of sexual liaisons in all quarters of his master’s house.

With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero Augustus commands the Roman Empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendour. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is absolute. But in the 10th year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumours of Nero's complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace - and the politicians.

Bringing ancient myth to life with passion, humour and humanity, Lindsay Clarke vividly retells the story of Troy and of the heroes who fought there. Traumatised by the slaughter that his ingenuity unleashed upon the people of Troy, Odysseus believes himself unworthy of returning home. Embarking on an epic journey to the ends of the world and deep into the shadows of his own heart, Odysseus turns at last for Ithaca, where his wife and son await, besieged by rivals who believe - and wish - him dead.

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den.... Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others. But Amara's spirit is far from broken.

AD 173. The Danube lies frozen. On its banks gather the clans of Sarmatia, their riders winter starved by sickly herds and blighted crops. Petty feuds cast aside and their disparate numbers united in the face of a great enemy. For across the frozen waters stands the mighty Roman Empire, and its Legion marches ever closer.

The Dacian kingdom and Rome are at peace, but no one thinks that it will last. Sent to command an isolated fort beyond the Danube, centurion Flavius Ferox can sense that war is coming but also knows that enemies may be closer to home. Many of the Brigantes under his command are former rebels and convicts, as likely to kill him as obey an order. And then there is Hadrian, the emperor's cousin, and a man with plans of his own.

From the author of the “engrossing historical epic” (Booklist) The Scribe of Siena comes a thrilling tale set in the crumbling city of Mystras, Greece, in which a scientist’s vacation with her young son quickly turns into a fight for their lives after they cross paths with a man out of time.

A thousand years ago, the mighty Cahokian civilization dominated the North American continent. At the heart of the empire stood a vast city, teeming with tens of thousands of residents, traders, and travelers. The city of Cahokia sent settlers and priests throughout the continent, from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico, carrying word of the power of their gods. People who wouldn't bow to that power were conquered or slaughtered. Power rested in one being, Morning Star, a god resurrected in the body of a living man.

Jerusalem and the Sinai desert, AD 55. In the turbulent aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus, agents of the Roman Empire receive information about a pilgrim bearing an incendiary letter from a religious fanatic calling himself Paul the Apostle to insurrectionists in Corinth. What's in the letter could bring down an empire. The Romans hire a former legionary, a solitary man-at-arms named Telamon to intercept the letter and destroy the courier. But once he meets the courier, Telamon experiences an extraordinary conversion.

For millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation - but now it's time to hear their side of the story.... As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivalled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece. Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaus, never to meet again.

The Aventine is full of fracturing families. Wives plot to leave their husbands, husbands plot to spend more time with their mistresses. Masters must endure slaves taking obscene liberties, while aggressive slaves are learning to ape dangerous masters. But no one wants to hire an investigator during the holiday. Albia is lumped with her own domestic stress: overexcited children and bilious guests, too many practical jokes and her magistrate husband Tiberius preoccupied with local strife.

In this spellbinding new collection, Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of the most enduring stories of all time. Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan war and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens. There are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals.