Name

Date of birth & (if yet known) death

Description

Achilleus

11^th Feb 42-?

Son of the pirate, Peleus. Adopted by Musonius Rufus.

Aemilia Lepida Minor

Great granddaughter of Augustus. Widow of Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus. Daughters: Junia Lepida & Junia Calvina. Sons: Marcus Junius Silanus, Lucius Junius Silanus & Domitius Junius Silanus.

Agrippina, aka as Julia Agrippina or Agrippina the Younger

15-?

First married by Tiberius to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, brother of Domitia Lepida, making her an aunt, through marriage, as well as a cousin, of Messalina. Marriage produced a son, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, later known as Nero. After being widowed, she married Sallustius Paaienus Crispus, whom she then poisoned for his riches. Married Claudius in 49 & began to plot her own son’s succession to the Principate at the expense of her third husband’s natural son, Britannicus.

Anacletus

39-?

Germanian of the Chatti tribe. Surviving younger brother of Axenius. Twin of Axenia.

Andrew

Member of the new Jewish ‘Christian’ sect. Brother of Cephas.

Apollinus

32-?

Rhodian slave of Caius Silius & then in Imperial service. Intimate of Bicilus & lover of Petronius & later of Rubellius Plautus.

Aquila

Member of the new Jewish ‘Christian’ sect. Roman citizen & Jewish tentmaker. Exiled with other Jews from Rome, settling in Corinth, where he hosted Paul & Timothy. Husband of Priscilla.

Arius, formerly Arminius

41-?

Germanian of the Chatti tribe. Bought as a slave boy & then adopted as his son by Axenius.

Arminius

19 BC-?

Germanian Chieftain of the Chatti tribe, responsible for the destruction in the Teutoburger Forest in 9 AD of 3 Roman legions led by Varus. Grandfather of Axenius, Anacletus & Axenia.

Arviragus

Cousin of Caratacus & his replacement as King of the Britannian Catuvellauni tribe.

Athenodoros

33-?

Great athlete, of Roman extraction but mainly Greek lifestyle, from Aigion in Achaea. Lover of Melankomas of Caria.

Axenia

39-?

Germanian of the Chatti tribe. Surviving younger sister of Axenius. Twin of Anacletus.

Axenius, aka Quintus Remmius Axenius after his adoption by Palaemon

30-?

Eunuch Germanian of the Chatti tribe. Grandson of Arminius, lover, freedman & heir of Palaemon, brother of Anacletus & Axenia & adoptive father of Arius. Later lover of Pliny the Elder.

Barnabas

Member of the new Jewish ‘Christian’ sect & early supporter & travelling companion of Paul.

Bicilus

32-?

Eunuch slave name of a Britannian of the Catuvellauni tribe. Autobiographer.

Boudicca

26-?

Red-haired wife of the much older King Prasutagus of the Britannian Iceni tribe, who gave birth to daughters in 44 & 46.

Britannicus, aka Tiberius Claudius Britannicus

11^th Feb 41-?

Natural son of Claudius from his marriage to Messalina. Younger brother of Octavia. Close friend of Titus.

Burrus, aka Sextus Afranius Burrus

Equestrian who worked his way up through the service of Augustus’ widow, Livia, and successors, Tiberius and Claudius. Ally of Agrippina, through whose influence he became Praetorian Prefect in 51. Close to Seneca the Younger & occasional intimate of Bicilus.

Caius Silius, or more properly Gaius Silius

16-48

Described as ‘the handsomest man in Rome’. First slave owner of Bicilus. Executed for helping Messalina launch an unsuccessful coup against Claudius.

Callistus

Freedman of Claudius, responsible for dealing with petitions & legal matters. Grandfather of Gaius Nymphidius Sabinus.

Caratacus

Chief of the Britannian Catuvellauni tribe, son of Cunobelinus. Captured & sent with his family to Rome, where Claudius spared their lives but compelled them to remain in exile. Sons: Cyllin, Cynon & Lleyn. Daughters: Eurgain & Gladys.

Cartimandua

Queen of the Britannian Brigantes tribe that betrayed, at her instigation, Caratacus of the Catuvellauni to the Romans. Wife of King Venutius, who opposed the betrayal.

Cephas

Member of the new Jewish ‘Christian’ sect. Brother of Andrew. Moved to Rome from Palestina in order to try to spread Jesus Christ’s dogma. Friend of Pomponia Graecina & saviour from squalor of Nigerinus & Suffuscus.

Claudia Antonia

30-?

Daughter of Claudius from his second marriage to Aelia Paetina, which had ended in a fairly amicable divorce.

Claudius, aka Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus

10 BC-?

Grandson of Anthony, step-grandson of Augustus, nephew of Tiberius and uncle to Gaius Caligula. Fourth Emperor of Rome.

Corbulo, aka Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo

Governor of Germania Inferior from 46.

Cornutus, aka Lucius Annaeus Cornutus

20-?

Renowned teacher from Leptis Magna in Libya. Slave of Seneca the Elder but freed in his will. Subsequent employee of Palaemon. Tutor of Britannicus, as well as of Persius, Quintilianus, Lucanus & Helius. Lover of Servius.

Crassus Frugi, aka Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi

d46

Influential friend of Claudius. Killed because of the intriguing of Messalina.

Crispina

31-?

Estranged wife of Caius Silius, who helped to betray his plot with Messalina to usurp Claudius.

Cyllin

41-?

Britannian of the Catuvellauni tribe. A son of Caratacus.

Cynon

43-?

Britannian of the Catuvellauni tribe. A son of Caratacus.

Didius

27-?

Successful gladiator & assassin for Agrippina. Earlier suffered a malicious penectomy when a legionnaire in Britannia.

Domitia Lepida

5 BC-?

Mother of Messalina. Sister of the first husband, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, of Agrippina the Younger & therefore aunt of Nero.

Domitianus, aka Titus Flavius Domitianus

24^th Oct 51-?

Younger son of Titus Flavius Vespasianus & brother of Titus.

Doryphorus

28-?

Slave & intimate of the murdered freedman of Claudius, Polybius. Later freed to be assistant & intimate of Narcissus. Subsequently lover of his own assistant, Helius, with whom he forms the early secretariat of Nero.

Epaphroditus

32-?

Personal slave of Nero.

Eurgain

38-?

Britannian of the Catuvellauni tribe. A daughter of Caratacus.

Faenius Rufus

26-?

Ally & lover of Agrippina.

Faustus Cornelius Sulla Felix

22-?

Half-brother of Messalina.

Galba, aka Servius Sulpicius Galba

3 BC-?

Favoured by Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula & Claudius with various important positions, including the governorship of Germania Superior. Intimate with Titus Vinius.

Gallio, aka Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus

Brother of Seneca the Younger. Governor of Achaea in Greece.

Gladys

39-?

Britannian of the Catuvellauni tribe. A daughter of Caratacus.

Helius

35-?

Former Rhodian slave. Younger brother of Apollinus. Freed by Palaemon to join lover, Doryphorus, in Imperial service.

Hylas

42-?

Britannian slave of Musonius Rufus. Named after Hercules’ boy love. A ‘thlibias’ or ‘shattered’ eunuch.

James

Jesus Christ’s eldest brother. First Bishop of Jerusalem.

Junia Calvina

Wife of Aulus Vitellius but divorced after being falsely accused by him of incest with her brother, Lucius Junius Silanus.

Junia Lepida

Daughter of Aemilia Lepida Minor, sister of Junia Calvina, Marcus Junius Silanus, Lucius Junius Silanus & Domitius Junius Silanus.

Kallikles

28-?

Corrupt athlete from Sidon.

Lleyn

42-?

Britannian of the Catuvellauni tribe. A son of Caratacus.

Lollia Paulina

d49

Former wife of Caligula. Executed as a result of the plotting of Agrippina.

Lucanus, aka Marcus Annaeus Lucanus

39-?

From Corduba, capital of Baetica in southern Hispania. Nephew of Seneca the Younger. Early companion of Nero. Later became pupil in Rome of Cornutus & intimate with both Persius & Quintilianus.

Melankomas

29-?

Great boxer from Halicarnassus in Caria. Lover of Athenodoros.

Messalina

d48

Third wife of Claudius. Empress from 41. Executed for unsuccessfully trying with Caius Silius to usurp her husband.

Musonius Rufus, aka Gaius Musonius Rufus

30-?

Equestrian & philosopher from Volsinii. Pupil of Palaemon, owner of the slave boy, Hylas, beloved of Bicilus & adopter of Achilleus & Tyanus.

Freedman secretary of Claudius, across whose desk all official correspondence passed, so making him responsible for oversight of much of the Imperial bureaucracy. Helped foil the attempted coup of Messalina in 48 & subsequently opposed the ambitions of Agrippina whilst supporting those of Britannicus, for which cause he enlisted the secret court help of Bicilus, Doryphorus & Helius. Occasional dinner host or guest of Palaemon & his friends. Possessed a fortune worth 400 million sestertii.

Nero, aka Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, formerly known as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus

15^th Dec 38-?

Son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus & Agrippina the Younger. After the latter’s marriage to Claudius, he was adopted by the Emperor & appointed ‘Principes Iuventatis’, or ‘first youth’. Pupil of Seneca the Younger & Petronius & intimate friend of Suffuscus.

Nerva, aka Marcus Cocceius Nerva

35-?

Son & grandson of famous eponymous lawyers. Close friend of Rubellius Plautus & lover of Silius Italicus.

Nigerinus

30-?

Nullified black eunuch. Rescued by Cephas from prostitution to become a freedman of Aulus Plautius & an undertaker.

Nymphidius Sabinus, aka Gaius Nymphidius Sabinus

39-?

Product of an affair between Gaius Caligula and Nymphida, the daughter of the Imperial freedman, Callistus.

Octavia

39-?

Daughter of Claudius & Agrippina. Elder sister of Britannicus. Betrothed to Lucius Junius Silanus until he was falsely accused of incest with his own sister.

Otho, aka Marcus Salvius Otho

28^th April 32-?

From Ferentium in Etruria. Son of Lucius Salvius Otho, who earned praise & advancement from Claudius for unearthing a plot, & Albia Terentia. Married to Poppaea.

Palaemon, aka Quintus Remmius Palaemon

d50

Hugely successful & wealthy teacher despite the dislike of both Tiberius & Claudius for his early morals & supposed ostentatious lifestyle & arrogance. Composed an important handbook on grammar & famous for introducing modern Latin poets, such as Virgil, into school curricula. Tutor of Musonius Rufus, Persius & Quintilianus, as well as briefly of Britannicus. Employer of Cornutus & acquaintance of Narcissus. Freed Helius from slavery, plus his own lover, Axenius, who became his heir and guardian of his educational achievements.

Pallas

Enormously wealthy freedman of Claudius, responsible for financial matters, including the operation of the state treasury, or ‘aerarium’. Earned the alliance & sexual favours of Agrippina by recommending to the Emperor that she become Empress after the demise of Messalina.

Paul

1-?

Originally part of the Jewish Diaspora living in the largely Greek city of Tarsus in Cicilia. A Pharisee & Roman citizen who violently opposed the nascent Jewish ‘Christian’ sect before undergoing a supposed miraculous conversion. Held significantly different views to the creed’s leaders, based in Jerusalem, such as Jesus’ brother, James, many of whom had actually known Christ. Nevertheless, he was allowed to spread his own version of the faith, which became increasingly estranged from that espoused by the leadership, & to seek converts from amongst the gentiles in the Hellenic & Roman worlds. He was aided in the latter ambition by dropping the normal Jewish requirement for circumcision & dietary restrictions. Accompanied in his journeying by, amongst others, Barnabas and then by Timothy.

Peleus

Pirate captain father of Achilleus. Eventually captured & crucified with his crew.

Persius, aka Aulus Persius Flaccus

34-?

Burgeoning stoic poet from Volaterrae in Etruria. Pupil of Palaemon & Cornutus. Friend of Musonius Rufus & intimate with both Quintilianus & Lucanus.

Petronius, aka Titus Petronius Niger

26-?

Wit & writer, whose taste for the good life earned him the sobriquet of ‘elegentiae arbiter’ or ‘arbiter of elegance’. Estranged companion of Titus Vinius. Friend of Palaemon & early intimate of Bicilus & Apollinus. Teacher in creative writing of Britannicus & Nero.

Plautius, aka Aulus Plautius

10 BC-?

Close friend of Claudius. General responsible for overall control of the successful invasion of Britannia in 43, subsequently becoming the new province’s first Roman Governor. Husband of Pomponia Graecina, natural father of Aulus Plautius Minor & adoptive father of Suffuscus.

Plautius Minor, aka Aulus Plautius Minor

43-?

Natural son of Aulus Plautius & Pomponia Graecina & adoptive brother of Suffuscus.

Pliny the Elder, aka Gaius Plinius Secundus

24-?

Equestrian soldier & polymath. Lover after Palaemon of Axenius.

Plutarchus, aka Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus

40-?

From the Boeotian town of Chaeronea. Met his intimate friend, Tyanus, in Delphi. Musonius Rufus first interested him in history.

Polybius

d48

Freedman of Claudius, responsible for library & research matters. Killed for allegedly trying to rape Messalina.

Pomponia Graecina

2-?

Wife of Aulus Plautius & friend of Cephas, who awarded her the baptismal name of ‘Lucina’. Natural mother of Aulus Plautius Minor. Helped to save Nigerinus from prostitution & her adoptive son, Suffuscus, from destitution.

Poppaea Sabina

33-?

Wife of Otho. Granddaughter of the late Poppaeus Sabinus, who had been a Consul and later gained triumphal insignia for campaigns in Thrace, as well as being Governor of Moesia for a remarkable 2½ decades.

Posides

Eunuch freedman of Claudius.

Priscilla

Wife of Aquila.

Quintilianus

34-?

Trainee lawyer, with career aspirations also in education, from Calagurris on the river Ebro in the district of Vascones in the province of Tarraconensis in Hispania. Pupil of Palaemon & Cornutus. Friend of Musonius Rufus & intimate with both Persius & Lucanus.

Rubellius Plautus

33-?

Great grandson of the Emperor Tiberius. Son of the younger sister of Agrippina, Julia Livilla, whose exile, for alleged adultery with Seneca the Younger, & then death were orchestrated by Messalina. Cousin of Nero. Friend of Nerva & Silius Italicus. Lover of Apollinus.

Rufus Pudens Pudentius

Very rich Roman half-brother, sharing the same mother, of Paul. An assistant of Aulus Plautius & friend of Aquila & Priscilla.

Sarapion

15-?

Stade champion at the 204^th Olympiad in 37 & first full-time trainer of Athenodoros.

Scapula, aka Publius Ostorius Scapula

2^nd Roman Governor of Britannia. Captured Caratacus & sent him & his family to Rome.

Seneca the Younger, aka Lucius Annaeus Seneca Minor

4 BC-?

Native of Corduba capital of Baetica in southern Hispania. Son of the rhetorician of the same name and therefore termed ‘The Younger’. Uncle of Lucanus. Returned from political exile by Agripinna to become her principal adviser & tutor to her son, Nero.

Servius

29-?

Eunuch former galley slave. Slave of Palaemon, freed to live with lover, Cornutus.

Silanus, Decimus Junius

Third son of Aemilia Lepida Minor, brother of Junia Calvina, Junia Lepida, Marcus Junius Silanus & Lucius Junius Silanus.

Silanus, Lucius Junius

26-?

Secong son of Aemilia Lepida Minor, brother of Junia Calvina, Junia Lepida, Marcus Junius Silanus & Domitius Junius Silanus. Betrothed to Octavia, daughter of Claudius. Falsely accused of incest with sister, Junia Calvina, & later committed suicide on the day that Agrippina married Claudius.

Silanus, Marcus Junius

First son of Aemilia Lepida Minor, brother of Junia Calvina, Junia Lepida, Lucius Junius Silanus & Domitius Junius Silanus.

Silius Italicus, aka Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus

35-?

Early companion of Nero. Later friend of Rubellius Plautus & lover of Marcus Cocceius Nerva.

Sribonia

33-?

Elder daughter of Caius Silius &, with sister, Tullia, first mistress of Bicilus. Exiled to Africa after father’s execution.

Stachys

35-?

Converted as a youth into the new Jewish ‘Christian’ sect in Byzantium by Andrew.

Plautius Suffuscus

37-?

Name assumed by the adopted son of Aulus Plautius & Pomponia Graecina. Adoptive brother of Aulus Plautius Minor. Originally rescued from destitution by Cephas, helped by a coin given by Musonius Rufus. Becomes early intimate school-friend of Nero.

Thomas

4 BC-?

Twin brother of Jesus Christ. Resident of Thyatira, Lydia, Asia Minor.

Thrasea Plautus

Noted stoic critic of the Principate as a form of government.

Timothy

31-?

Travelling companion of Paul, from Lystra, Lycaonia.

Titus Flavius Sabinus

Elder brother of Titus Flavius Vespasianus. Like his brother, fought in the invasion of Britannia in 43 but later became even more successful in Roman politics.

Titus, aka Titus Flavius Vespasianus junior

Dec 41-?

Older son, born in a Roman slum tenement, of Titus Flavius Vespasianus & Flavia Domitilla. Brother of Domitianus. Best friend of Britannicus, to whom he is 10 months younger.

Titus Vinius

27-?

Estranged companion of Petronius. Cause of the temporary enslavement of Bicilus on a galley. Intimate with Galba, whose influence saved him from a worse fate than exile for stealing one of the favourite cups of Claudius.

Traianus, aka Marcus Ulpius Traianus

30-?

From Italica in Baetica in southern Hispania. Saved Persius, Quintilianus & Lucanus from being raped by soldiers.

Tullia

35-?

Younger daughter of Caius Silius &, with sister, Sribonia, first mistress of Biclius. Exiled to Africa after father’s execution.

Tyanus

40-?

Name, derived from original birthplace, afforded boy rescued from street prostitution in Alexandria & adopted by Musonius Rufus. Intimate friend of Plutarchus.

Valerius Asiaticus

Influential friend of Claudius. Forced to commit suicide because of the intriguing of Messalina.

Venutius

King of the Britannian Brigantes tribe that betrayed, despite his opposition, Caratacus of the Catuvellauni to the Romans. Husband of Queen Cartimandua, who advocated the betrayal.

Vespasianus, aka Titus Flavius Vespasianus senior

9-?

Forced to adopt a rather low public profile after the marriage of Claudius to Agrippina because of his association with her rival, Narcissus. Fathered a second son, Domitianus, in 51. He retained a strong rural accent throughout his life, which many other patricians considered uncouth.

Vitellius, aka Aulus Vitellius

5-?

Scheming son of one of the one of the most fawning but successful friends of Claudius, Lucius Vitellius. Ally & lover of Agrippina. Nickname of ‘spintria’, or ‘sexual artiste’, earned for his debaucheries with Tiberius when a boy. He carried his love of vice into adulthood.