Ancient Roman Fiction

Platons Dialoge gehören in philosophischer wie auch in literarischer Hinsicht unzweifelhaft zu den großen kulturellen Hervorbringungen des alten Griechenlands. Ihr Einfluss auf das Denken und auf das, was wir heute allgemein unter Philosophie verstehen, kann kaum überschätzt werden. Zentrale Themen der platonischen Philosophie wie die Frage nach dem Guten und die Frage, wie man auf zwingend richtige Gründe abgestütztes Wissen erlangt, haben mehr als nur Akzente in der abendländischen Geistesgeschichte hinterlassen.

Redemption and revenge: can they be one and the same? Marcus Sempronius Gracchus, a soldier of Rome, has spent two thousand years cursed to walk the earth, but that journey may soon end. He has secured the only weapon capable of stopping ultimate evil, but is he already too late? Will Thomas find the ancient seal and open the gates of hell, ushering in the end of times?

"Caius ist ein Dummkopf" steht eines Morgens an einer Wand des Minervatempels. Wer immer das geschrieben hat, muss dafür bestraft werden. War es wirklich Rufus, mit dem sich Caius kurz zuvor gestritten hatte? Es ist seine Handschrift, doch Rufus bestreitet die Tat. Gibt es einen Zusammenhang mit dem Einbruch in die Xanthosschule? Caius und seine Freunde ermitteln und enttarnen dabei einen großen Betrüger.

Spagna, 137 A.C. Quella tra i conquistatori romani e i ribelli celtiberi è una guerra sanguinaria, che sembra non avere mai fine. Muzio Spurio, veterano pluridecorato, ne ha abbastanza: ha deciso di chiedere il congedo e di tornare da quella famiglia che ha trascurato per troppi anni. Ma, dopo tanto tempo trascorso sui campi di battaglia, il vecchio soldato non è più lo stesso e il ritorno alla vita civile si rivela più difficile del previsto.

Britannia, anno 305 dopo Cristo. È un autunno ventoso quello che accoglie Elio Sparziano ai piedi del Vallo di Adriano, l'ultimo sistema di difesa dell'impero romano contro le tribù della Scozia. L'incarico di Elio - ottimo soldato ma spirito libero - ha il sapore di un castigo per la sua indipendenza, giacché dovrà solo ispezionare i forti del Vallo; un lavoro più da burocrate che da uomo d'azione. Eppure la sua missione si complica di colpo alla notizia di una strage: un gruppo di barbari ha infatti trucidato un'intera guarnigione.

L'Impero che Marco Aurelio ha ereditato è giunto alla sua massima espansione e mantenere la pace che ha regnato sotto Antonino Pio è ormai impossibile: dopo la guerra contro i Parti, ora sono i Germani a minacciare Roma premendo da nord.Nel 167 d.C., l'Imperatore filosofo dà inizio alle guerre marcomanniche sotto auspici infausti e ben presto il suo progetto di stabilizzare i confini settentrionali si scontra con il leggendario furor teutonicus. Ma non è solo la spaventosa forza di quelle popolazioni a sfibrare le legioni romane.

I confini orientali dell'Impero sono minacciati da un personaggio misterioso quanto terribile: Ter Vishap, il Signore dei Draghi che domina con il terrore quelle remote regioni e a cui la credulità popolare attribuisce poteri sovrannaturali. Elio Sparziano è inviato a fare chiarezza, ma la sua missione, ancora prima di iniziare, si tinge di sangue: Sanazar, il mercante persiano che avrebbe dovuto fare da intermediario, muore in un incidente forse troppo provvidenziale.

As a consequence of his actions during the Ludus uprising, Fallon's love, Cai, has been stripped of his decurion rank and cast down to serve as one of Caesar's gladiators. Amid fighting for Cai's freedom, Fallon soon learns Caesar's enemies are plotting against him and planning to get revenge on his fearsome gladiatrices. When Caesar is murdered by these conspirators, Fallon and the girls lose any sort of protection they once had. Fallon also realizes the foreign Queen Cleopatra is now in grave danger.

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle delves into the question of what is best for mankind and humans as individuals. His conclusion is that happiness is the best possible human condition, though he is not referencing the emotion of happiness. Instead, Aristotle concludes that true happiness comes as a way of life in which the individual contributes to the good of his community, as well as his mind.

Politics is the second half of a single treatise by Aristotle (384 B.C.E - 322 B.C.E.), Ethics being the first. Both deal with one and the same subject: what Aristotle calls the philosophy of human affairs. He also refers to it as political science and social science. Aristotle collected and studied the constitutions of over 150 city states before writing his Politics.

Menschen entstehen aus Schlamm und Steinen, Nymphen werden zu Sträuchern, übermütige Jünglinge stürzen auf ihrem Himmelsflug ab, ein altes Ehepaar nimmt die Gestalt von Bäumen an... Die Rede ist u. a. von Pyrrha und Deucalion, Daphne und Apoll, Daedalus und Ikarus, Philemon und Baucis. Hier ist der ganze ausufernde Mythenschatz der Antike versammelt.

Everyone is searching for Mason. Zeus sent Hermes, and the Oracles have used their magic, with no success. A sparkle of hope arises when Eris, the goddess of Chaos, sends an invitation to her wedding engagement party. She’s holding Mason hostage, and Skylar and her friends only need permission to enter Eris’ world to rescue him. At the party, Eris gives them one condition: In exchange for Mason, they must travel to the Land of Reverse and bring back the bottle of gold water King Midas used to wash himself free of his gift.

Thirteen-year-old Talon is in trouble...again. He didn’t mean to burn down the school library. It just happened. Things like that always happen to Talon. His life is a mixture of the weird and bizarre. No one else he knows can shoot fire from their hands or cause an earthquake...but he can. Every night the same dream haunts Talon: the destruction of an underwater city. He hasn’t a clue what it means but he feels like fate is trying to warn him.

Ohne Eltern wächst Thaïs in einem Hurenhaus auf, wo die schöne, kluge Frau zur Hetäre, einer gelehrten Gespielin wichtiger Männer ausgebildet wird. Thaïs verkehrt schon bald mit großen Rednern und Philosophen. Sogar Alexander der Große gerät in den Bann der schönen Kurtisane. Thaïs begleitet die Männer auf ihren Feldzügen, bringt unterwegs Kinder zur Welt, feiert Orgien und wird zur wichtigsten Frau im Leben des Großkönigs. Am Ende ihres Lebens beauftragt sie den Eunuchen Menandros, ihr Leben aufzuzeichnen.

Skylar, Mason, and the other descendants embark a deadly quest to the underworld to confront the evil Hades, who has been plotting to kill off the descendants of all the gods. On this journey, they soon discover that the ancient gods are not dead as once believed but are held captive in a secret location. In order to save the world from destruction at the hands of Hephaestus, the descendants must set out on a crusade to rescue the gods.

A mysterious stranger enters Skylar's inner circle, throwing her life out of balance. As secrets are revealed, she learns of the New Olympus- a dwelling for the descendants of the Gods. The Grand family must strive to work together with these descendants to discover the key to their rescue from the clutches of the growing evil vultures of Hades. As the threat increases, Skylar must learn to control her newfound powers before it's too late.

454 AD. Northern Italy. Dux Ambrosius Aurelianus has served the Roman Empire with distinction. His bucellarii, a small band of irregular soldiers, have helped to bring a fragile peace to the beleaguered empire in the west. But, with the empire now at peace, his master, Flavius Aetius, decides to chain up his dogs of war. Ambrosius and his men are left to idle away their days in a rural backwater, but Ambrosius’ boredom is brutally swept aside when old rivals seize the opportunity to destroy him.

Prince Ankhmakis has left his beloved Natasa for war and treacherous obstacles block his path to becoming Egypt’s last native king. He is the warrior that the men revere, and his orders are followed without question. He is strong and powerful with Natasa on his side, and the fear that breeds in those around him is more dangerous to Ankhmakis than the swords of the Greeks. Natasa has risen higher in the mystic arts than any priestess before her—and she is in more peril because of it. All she desires is to assist her lover, Ankhmakis, in his quest to take back Egypt.

As the Romans storm the last stronghold of Dacia, Princess Ademeni awaits her fate. Taken as a slave, she is deposited into General Marcus Cordovis's home as a gift.

With the empire collapsing about him, Heraclius, the Exarch’s son, becomes the first Roman Emperor in 300 years to lead an army into battle. But this is no ordinary army: it is the Last Army, cobbled together from the bits and pieces that remain of once-great legions. Arrayed against him are the most formidable enemies Rome has ever faced: the Avar horde, the Sassanian Persian Empire intent on Rome’s annihilation, and the relentless plague that exploded under his predecessor Justinian and halved the Roman population.