[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_roman_mysteries_nine_bookcovers.jpg]]

''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical detective novels for children, written by Caroline Lawrence. It is set in UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire during the 1st century AD. The books follow four children who solve mysteries and have adventures in Ostia, Rome, and throughout the empire. The lead character, Flavia, a middle-class Roman girl who lives in Ostia, is a self-styled ''detectrix''. She is supported by Nubia, a slave girl from Africa; Jonathan, a Jewish boy; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy. Creator/{{CBBC}} adapted some of the books into a LiveActionTV [[Series/TheRomanMysteries show]].

Caroline Lawrence has started a sequal series called ''Literature/TheRomanMysteryScrolls'', written for a slightly younger audience. She is also the author of ''Literature/TheWesternMysteries''.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: The main novels of the Roman Mysteries series are: ]]

# ''The Thieves of Ostia'' (2001)
# ''The Secrets of Vesuvius'' (2001)
# ''The Pirates of Pompeii'' (2002)
# ''The Assassins of Rome'' (2002)
# ''The Dolphins of Laurentum'' (2003)
# ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina'' (2003)
# ''The Enemies of Jupiter'' (2003)
# ''The Gladiators from Capua'' (2004)
# ''The Colossus of Rhodes'' (2005)
# ''The Fugitive from Corinth'' (2005)
# ''The Sirens of Surrentum'' (2006)
# ''The Charioteer of Delphi'' (2006)
# ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem'' (2007)
# ''The Beggar of Volubilis'' (2008)
# ''The Scribes from Alexandria'' (2008)
# ''The Prophet from Ephesus'' (2009)
# ''The Man from Pomegranate Street'' (2009)

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Additional books include: ]]

* ''The Code of Romulus'' (2007): A novella published for World Book Day. Takes place before ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina''
* ''Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries'' (2007): A collection of short stories.
** "The Case of the Missing Coin": Takes place after ''The Thieves of Ostia''
** "Trimalchio's Feast": Takes place after ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina''
** "Jonathan Vs. Ira": Takes place after ''The Enemies of Jupiter''
** "The Case of the Citrus-Wood Table": Takes place after ''The Gladiators from Capua''
** "The Case of the Talking Statue": Takes place after ''The Charioteer of Delphi''
** "Death By Vespasian": Takes place after ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem''
* ''The Roman Mysteries Treasury'' (2007): A companion book with [[AllThereInTheManual additional background information]] about the characters and factual information about UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire.
* ''Frome Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemini'' (2008): A travel guide to the places mentioned in the series, based on Caroline Lawrence's own experience doing research trips for her stories.
* ''The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries'' (2010): A collection of short stories.
** "The Moon in Full Daylight": Takes place after ''The Sirens of Surrentum''
** "The Legionary from Londinium": Takes place after ''The Sirens of Surrentum''
** "Death by Medusa": Takes place before ''The Charioteer of Delphi''
** "The Perseus Prophecy": Takes place after ''The Charioteer of Delphi''
** "The Five Barley Grains": Takes place before ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem''
** "Threptus and the Sacred Chickens": Takes place after ''The Man from Pomegranate Street''

The TV Episodes are listed at '''[[Series/TheRomanMysteries Roman Mysteries (TV series)]]'''.

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!!The books series provide examples of:

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[[folder:Tropes A though D]]
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: [[spoiler: Polla does this to herself accidentally when trying to poison herself to gain the attention of her womaniser husband, Felix, in ''The Sirens of Surrentum''.]]
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: Flavia initially buys Nubia as a slave because she wants a friend and companion, and treats her as such, but in "The Pirates of Pompeii", she is chided by the Pollius household for doing so. Anxious to fit in, she begins treating Nubia like a servant, summoning her to help dress her hair, and then dismissing her. This leads to a major HeelRealization when Nubia runs away and Pollius Felix says he can't go after her, because legally he would be required to treat her as a runaway, which carries some truly barbaric penalties.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: in ''The Dolphins of Laurentum'', after Flavia's father loses his ship in an accident and his family is facing the seizure of their house and property, all the children are fretting over what to do. Jonathan leaps to his feet and exclaims, ''"a brilliant plan!"'' They all ask what he's thinking, and he replies, ''"that's what we need, a brilliant plan."'' Everyone has a much-needed laugh.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Aristo, the children's tutor gets one in ''The Fugitive from Corinth'' including delving into his BackStory. Miriam gets a turn in ''The Slavegirl from Jerusalem'' [[spoiler: especially as it ends with her death.]]
* AgainstMyReligion: In ''The Scribes of Alexandria'', Seth refuses to travel on the Sabbath, even though they are in a time-sensitive situation. [[spoiler: He gets over it.]]
* AgeAppropriateAngst: There are several examples of this throughout the series, including Flavia's reaction to a {{Parent With New Paramour}} in ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina.''
* AllThereInTheManual: ''The Roman Mysteries Treasury'' contains additional information about the characters, their backgrounds and the setting (namely UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire),
* AmateurSleuth: Flavia and friends
* AndroclesLion: Played with. [[spoiler: A tame lion that is friendly with a character that has been sentenced to be eaten by lions is substituted for the wild man-eating lion.]]
* AngryAngryHippos: In "The Gladiators From Capua", part of the spectacle arranged by Domitian involves Flavia and a number of other young girls being set upon by crocodiles and hippos.
* AppeaseTheVolcanoGod: The books actually give a real life twist on this common trope. Instead of virgin sacrifice, the Romans sacrifice fish as part of the Vulcanalia in ''The Secrets of Vesuvius.''
* ArrangedMarriage: Common practice during the time period in which the books are set, the marriage of Jonathan's parents is explicitly stated to have been arranged and many of the other marriages depicted were probably also arranged. [[spoiler: Although inverting the usual trope it's Mordecai - who enforced the arranged marriage - who comes off sympathetically rather than Susannah.]] This custom causes conflict between Flavia and her father when her father wants to arrange a betrothal for her.
* ArtfulDodger: Lupus's life as a beggar boy and innate intelligence makes him sneaky and street smart.
* ArtifactAlias: Nubia is a former slave whose real name is Shepenwepet. She is renamed Nubia as that is the name given to all female Nubian slaves. Even after being freed, she continues to go by Nubia, saying "Nubia can be my new name for my new life."
* BearTrap: Poor Lupus gets stuck in a boar trap. Fortunately it is not bad as a BearTrap, but is was still pretty bad.
* BigBad: Some of the books have villains and others do not, however the villain whose kidnapping ring forms one of the recurring plot lines of the series is referred to by the characters is "The Big Buyer". [[spoiler: After the "Big Buyer" is captured, it is revealed that there is a "Bigger Buyer" who is in fact ultimately in charge of the slave ring.]]
* BigDisasterPlot: ''The Secrets of Vesuvius'' and ''The Pirates of Pompeii'' feature the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its immediate aftermath. ''The Enemies of Jupiter'' revolves around [[ThePlague a plague]] hitting the city of Rome [[spoiler:followed by a [[TheGreatFire disastrous fire]] set off by the villains as revenge for the Romans' destruction of Jerusalem.]]
* BigFancyHouse: Detailed descriptions of the housing of various characters, to include maps of the houses, are used both to indicate wealth and to educate about historic Roman housing. Villa Limona is a good example of a truly big and fancy house.
* TheBigGuy: Caudex is a large, strong slave who often acts as a bodyguard for the main characters.
* BilingualBonus: Many of the books contain some Latin words; however most are translated either in the main text or in the glossary. In one story, however, one of the clues requires an understanding of Latin. A character says a word that is [[TranslationConvention written in English]], however if the word is translated back into the Latin that he would have actually been speaking, it points to the identity of the killer.
* BirdsOfAFeather: Flavia and [[spoiler:Flaccus,]] who are both bossy and judgmental but also prove to be brave, kind-hearted and highly intelligent.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Queen Berenice; on the outside she is all sweetness and royal grace; on the inside she is feeling her age, and viciously jealous of any younger woman who she imagines has caught the Emperor Titus' eye. Being a queen, she has no scruples about the methods she will resort to against these real or imagined rivals. Jonathan's mother, Titus's favorite maid, Susannah, nearly dies from an attempted poisoning, which makes Titus finally realize that he has to release her from his service, for her own protection.
** In the TV adaptation, one of the palace's Jewish maidservants admits that Berenice caught Titus "[[MaleGaze looking]]" at her once, and lifts her headcloth, showing the horrified children the word "Delilah"[[note]] A Biblical adulteress[[/note]] branded into her forehead.
* BitterSweetEnding: [[spoiler: ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem'' and ''The Man from Pomegranate Street.'']]
** Specifically, the four detectives are [[spoiler: exiled from their homeland]] and Jonathan's nephew [[spoiler:is still missing three years later]]. This may be cleared up in future spin-offs.
* BlackVikings: Averted in the books, which contain a realistic depictions of the racial and cultural mix of the Roman Empire. However, in the TV adaptation, there are two examples of black Roman patricians.
* BondingOverMissingParents: There is a scene where the four children discuss their {{Missing Mom}}s and are reduced to tears.
* BookWorm: Flavia is a big fan of reading. In the first book, she wanted a copy of ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny%27s_Natural_History Pliny's Natural History]]'' as her birthday present.
* BreakTheCutie: Nubia and Lupus's backstories where the first is enslaved and the second has his tongue cut out and is forced to become a beggar. Their lives improve in the present day however. In contrast Jonathan undergoes this within the series itself as he [[spoiler: gets branded as a slave, suffers gladiator training, has to carry the guilt of accidentally killing 20,000 people, loses his beloved sister and suffers weeks of ColdBloodedTorture. Of all the main characters he's the only one who doesn't get a proper happy ending and is still described as a wanderer in the DistantEpilogue.]]
* BreakingTheFellowship: This happens in ''The Scribes from Alexandria'', [[spoiler: when the main characters are split up by a shipwreck.]]
* TheCasanova: [[spoiler: Publius Pollus Felix, as revealed in ''The Sirens of Surrentum'', not only has sex with pretty much all his slavegirls (normal for Romans), but also with many of the free-born girls in the neighborhood, which was considered much less acceptable and is depicted as being predatory in nature.]]
* CatchPhrase: Nubia has "Behold!" and Flavia has her habitual introduction: "My name is Flavia Gemina, daughter of Marcus Flavius Geminus, sea captain!" The characters also have particular exclamations; Modecai (and sometimes Jonathan) favour "Master of the Universe!", wheras Flavia often says "great Juno's peacock!" and her father "Neptune's beard, man!"
* ChariotRace: Chariot races forms the center of the plot in ''The Charioteer of Delphi.''
* TheChase: ''The Colossus of Rhodes,'' ''The Fugitive from Corinth,'' ''The Scribes from Alexandria,'' and ''The Prophet from Ephesus.''
* ChekhovsVolcano: ''The Secrets of Vesuvius'' has the characters going to the area near Pompeii, just in time for the now famous eruption of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius]].
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: All the books have both explicit references to Classical Myths and intentional parallels to the referenced myths within the story line.
* CleanFoodPoisonedFork: Locusta, a master poisoner, tells of a murder she heard about. The victim was given food with mild poison, but when they made themselves throw up using a feather they died from the lethal poison applied to the feather's tip. This is one of the three different stories of how Emperor Claudius was assassinated.
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: Part of the plot of ''The Man from Pomegranate Street''. [[spoiler: Played straight with secondary characters as virtually all of them - Marcus, Aristo, Diana and Pulchra - are married by the epilogue. Averted with the main four characters as neither Lupus or Jonathan are paired by the end of the book, Lupus because he's only twelve years old while Jonathan is implied to remain a wanderer all his life.]]
* ClearTheirName: ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem'' involves clearing the name of a slave-girl falsely accused or murder.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Discussed in ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem'' when Nubia almost gets tortured for information. [[spoiler: In''The Man From Pomegranate Street'' Jonathan suffers weeks of whipping and starvation to protect his father.]]
* ColorCodedCharacters: The four main characters' clothing: Flavia almost always wears blue, Nubia wears yellow, Lupus green and Jonathan wears cream earlier on and brown as the series continues. This extends to secondary characters as Aristo wears [[{{RedIsHeroic}} red]], Miriam [[{{GracefulLadiesLikePurple}} purple]] and Pulchra [[{{PinkMeansFeminine}} pink]].
* ConvertingForLove: [[spoiler: Chrysis]] in ''The Scribes of Alexandria'' has no problem doing this for [[spoiler: Seth]]. Averted with [[spoiler: Miriam and Gaius]], as the latter does not convert.
* CoolTeacher: Aristo
* CourtroomEpisode: ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem''
* CrisisOfFaith: [[spoiler: Jonathan]] has one that begins near the end of ''The Enemies of Jupiter'' and extends until ''The Prophet from Ephesus''.
* CrossingTheDesert: ''The Beggar of Volubilis''
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The Romans were big fans of this. Several historically accurate examples of particularly brutal and horrific executions appear in ''The Gladiators from Capua''. Some of the examples include criminals being FedToTheBeast and EatenAlive. Sometimes this involves being ChainedToARock.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Both Lupus and Nubia suffered traumatic events in their past that continue to haunt them throughout the series.
* DarkerAndEdgier: As the series continues. The biggest shift occurs with ''The Enemies of Jupiter'' when [[spoiler: Jonathan intends to murder Titus, accidentally helps start the great fire of Rome and almost commits suicide.]]
* DeathbringerTheAdorable: [[spoiler: The rabbit in ''The Gladiators from Capua'' has a name that indicates it is a ferocious beast, but it is really just a harmless bunny.]]
* DeathByChildbirth: Flavia's mother, in Flavia's {{backstory}}, and [[spoiler: Miriam at the end of ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem'']] both die giving birth to twins.
** DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler: This is done inadvertently. A boy that had stolen Jonathan's ring is killed in a fire. Finding his body makes everyone think that Jonathan is dead, which is fine with Jonathan because he wants to leave his identity behind and become a gladiator.]]
* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Sometimes Flavia uses this trick during the course of an investigation.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: All the characters freak out over free Romans being kidnapped and enslaved, but most of them give little thought to the enslavement of non-Romans or those born to slavery. Notable exceptions are Nubia, who was herself a slave, and Dr. Mordecai, who is against all slavery. This is not an example of dissonance on the part of the author, but an accurate portrayal of the values of the time period. Likewise, it accurately presents Roman marriage customs and Roman views on {{Blood Sport}}s and execution as entertainment.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: Pulchra's crush on Jonathan. [[spoiler: They kiss in ''The Sirens of Surrentum'' but by the DistantFinale she's married to a wealthy Roman citizen. No, the daughter of one of the most powerful men in Rome ''won't'' be marrying a middle class doctor's son who follows an illegal religion.]]
* DistantFinale: The final chapter of the last book skips several years from the end of the previous chapter.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Jonathan has prophetic dreams in several of the books. Flavia has a prophetic dream that forms the basis of ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina.'' A prophetic dream also plays a major role in ''The Enemies of Jupiter.''
* DrowningMySorrows: Several adult characters do this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes E though H]]
* EndingMemorialService: The funeral for [[spoiler: Miriam at the end of ''The Slave-girl of Jerusalem.]]
* EmotionsVersusStoicism: ''The Sirens of Surrentum'' explores the differences between the Classical Greco-Roman philosophies of Epicureanism and Stoicism, with examples of characters that actively pursue each of the two philosophies.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Both the series title and many of the individual story titles.
* TheExoticDetective: Flavia is exotic in that she is a {{Kid Detective}} and an ancient Roman.
* EveryoneMeetsEveryone: In ''The Thieves of Ostia'', of course. We are introduced to Flavia, who is rescued by Jonathan, buys Nubia at the market and meets Lupus when he falls out of a tree.
* FairPlayWhodunnit: Most of the stories' mysteries have enough clues here and there to be solvable before TheReveal.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: HistoricalDomainCharacter [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Valerius_Flaccus Gaius Valerius Flaccus]] fakes his death in order to go into exile with Flavia and marry her, as part of the HappilyEverAfter ending. This is used by the author to overcome the fact that the RealLife Flaccus died shortly after the stories end.]]
* FatalFlaw: All the four main characters have one that causes various problems throughout the series. Flavia is bossy and judgmental, Jonathan [[{{GuiltComplex}} blames himself for everything and is pessimistic]], Nubia is too [[{{NaiveNewcomer}} naive and trusting]] and Lupus is [[{{HairTriggerTemper}} hot-tempered and impulsive.]]
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Alma and Miriam are the best cooks and play the most traditionally feminine roles in the story, especially by 1st Century Roman standards. Flavia, on the other hand, is hardly ever depicted cooking, partly because she is a {{Tomboy}} and partly because Alma does all the cooking for her family.
* FirstKiss: Flavia's first kiss is depicted in ''The Sirens of Surrentum''.
* [[{{FiveTokenBand}} Four Token Band]]: By Roman standards the four main TrueCompanions qualify - Flavia is a Roman citizen, Jonathan is a Christian of Jewish descent, Lupus is Greek and Nubia is an African slave.
* ForeignQueasine: Stuffed dormice and other exotic period food.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: This is actually explicitly stated in the books, which is justified because it takes place during a time period when doctors still believed in the four humors.
* FreeRangeChildren: The characters are often in situations where there is little adult supervision, especially toward the end of the series. However, this is not constant throughout the series, as there there are many situations where they do their detective work with adult supervision and help.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Nubia interacts well with animals and seems to has an empathy with them that sometimes borders on the supernatural.
* GeekyTurnOn: A few men are attracted to Flavia because of this, notably [[spoiler: Tranquillus and Flaccus.]]
* GentleGiant: Caudex, Monobaz
* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: This happens off screen as the result of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which results in [[spoiler: Marcus Flavius Geminus being shipwrecked and losing his ship and all the money he had invested in his cargo, causing him to almost go bankrupt.]]
* GladiatorGames: Gladiator games form the central theme of ''The Gladiators from Capua.'' [[spoiler: Jonathan becomes a gladiator.]] Also a form of BloodSport.
* TheGreatFire: In ''The Enemies of Jupiter'': [[spoiler: The villains' plan involves burning Rome down as revenge for the destruction of Jerusalem. Jonathan attempts to stop it after realizing what they're up to, [[AllForNothing but the fire starts anyway]], devastating huge swathes of the city of Rome, killing thousands, and causing Jonathan to suffer a HeroicBSOD.]]
* HairTriggerTemper: Lupus loses his temper easily, especially when people ask him about his past or mention his missing tongue.
* HappilyEverAfter: The end of the final book, where [[spoiler: Flavia gets married. There is also an example of WealthyEverAfter, as the main characters have been given a luxurious villa and lots of money.]]
* HappinessInSlavery: Played with. The series shows both the brutal and the relatively benign sides of Roman slavery, however even slaves that treated kindly and like their masters wish to be set free.
** In "The Gladiators From Capua", Nubia finally tracks down her brother Tarhaquo, and offers to buy his freedom. He laughs and asks why in the world he would want to be free, since being a gladiator has brought him fame, luxuries, and the adoration of young, beautiful women (one of whom is literally throwing herself at him during their conversation).
* HappilyMarried: Flavia's parents before her mother died in childbirth. Gaius and Miriam [[spoiler: before she dies in childbirth. Seeing a pattern?]] By the end of the series [[spoiler:Aristo and Nubia count, and it's strongly implied Flavia and Flaccus will be too.]] Mordecai portrayed his marriage as this [[spoiler:but it's later revealed Susannah was in love with another man and all she'll admit to Jonathan is that she wasn't ''un''happy.]]
* HarmfulToMinors: Children are exposed to harmful situations and are even harmed throughout the series. Listed are just a few of the more notable examples.
** In ''The Gladiators from Capua'', children, to include ''very young children'' are part of the audience at the [[strike:Colosseum]] Flavian Amphitheater. [[spoiler: Also, one of the main characters becomes a gladiator and another character is exposed to wild animals that kill several other children before she is saved.]]
** The events behind Lupus's DarkAndTroubledPast and Nubia's DarkAndTroubledPast.
** The fate of the children that are [[MadeASlave kidnapped and enslaved]].
* HeadacheOfDoom: [[spoiler: Titus suffers from these for months before he dies abruptly.]]
* HeroicDolphin: In ''The Dolphins of Laurentum''. The main characters swim and play with dolphins, and [[spoiler: Lupus even rides one.]] A dolphin rescues [[spoiler: Lupus after he nearly drowns from staying underwater too long while diving. It is also strongly implied that the same dolphin discouraged Lupus from deliberately leaving behind another diver who had been trapped by a giant octopus, though in fairness to Lupus he had a good reason for wanting the trapped person to die.]] The book also references several examples of the use of dolphins in Myth/ClassicalMythology and Roman urban legends, including stories of shipwrecked sailors being rescued by dolphins and boys riding on dolphins. A ship is named Delphina.
* HeyCatch: How [[spoiler: Flaccus]] proves the identity of the murderer in ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem''. [[spoiler: The killer was left-handed and catches the wax tablet in his left hand.]]
* TheHero: While Flavia is the main POV character for the majority of the series, each of the four friends have their moments in the spotlight and books focusing on them which often connect to their backstories. (Flavia: ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina'' and ''The Sirens of Surrentum''. Jonathan: ''The Assassins of Rome'' and ''The Enemies of Jupiter''. Nubia: ''The Pirates of Pompeii'', ''The Charioteer of Delphi'' and ''The Scribes from Alexandria.''. Lupus: ''The Dolphins of Laurentum'' and ''The Colossus of Rhodes''.)
* HeelFaithTurn: Happens to [[spoiler: the villain]] in ''The Prophet from Ephesus''.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Jonathan experiences this at the end of ''The Enemies of Jupiter'' when he blames himself for a massive fire that killed thousands of people. It results in examples of DeathSeeker, ItsAllMyFault, and SurvivorGuilt. For a time, he also adopts an alter ego called Ira ([[MeaningfulRename meaning wrath]]) that almost results in BecomingTheMask. When his friends first try to shake him out of it, he expresses a ThatManIsDead attitude toward his real name and identity. His new identity includes some of the elements of MaddenIntoMisanthropy, ADarkerMe, and something that may even be mild form of SplitPersonality.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Jonathan plans to be executed for killing Titus in the place of his father, (who he thinks is the real murderer.) However Flavia works out Jonathan is lying and clears his name.]]
** [[spoiler: Miriam refuses to let her father save her during childbirth and insists he save her children instead.]]
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Jonathan has a tendency towards pessimism and poor self esteem.
* HistoricalFiction
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes I though M]]
* ICallItVera: The sailor Atticus has a sword he calls "Flora"; named, we are told, after an ex-girlfriend with a sharp tongue.
** In the TV adaptation this is their door-slave Caudex instead.
* IChooseToStay: [[spoiler: Nubia]] does this at end at the end of ''The Scribes of Alexandria,'' when she chooses to [[spoiler: return to Italia rather than go back to her home country of Nubia.]]
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: TheXOfY; usually, but not always, "The of ".
* IllegalReligion: Christianity, or "The Way".
* InThePastEveryoneWillBeFamous: The characters have interactions with several examples of a {{Historical Domain Character}}.
* InHarmonyWithNature: Nubia has a strong connection with animals that is almost magical.
* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: The opening of the short story "'The Five Barley Grains" in ''The Legionary from Londinium & Other Mini Mysteries'' starts out this way. [[WordOfGod Caroline Lawrence]] said that like [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]], she always wanted to start a story with that stock phrase.
* JustAKid: This is played straight throughout the series. Sometimes the four detectives exploit this to their advantage. Sometimes it is an obstacle that they have to overcome.
* KidDetective: The four main characters are all kids, however Flavia is the primary one that refers to herself as a detective, or ''detectrix'' in the Latin.
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Uncle Gaius]], who is presumed to have drowned in the shipwreck at the beginning of ''The Scribes from Alexandria'' due to not knowing how to swim.
* KilledOffForReal: Several minor characters in early books [[spoiler: such as Pliny the Elder, Jonathan's uncle Simeon and Flavia's future step-mother. In later books more significant characters Miriam and Uncle Gaius are also killed off.]]
* TheKillerWasLeftHanded: ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem''
* LoveAtFirstNote: Mordecai fell in love with Jonathan's mother when he heard her laugh.
* LovePotion: Historic examples of what Romans believed to be love potions are featured in ''The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina''.
* LoveTriangle: Variations on the theme take place in some of the books. Caroline Lawrence seems particularly fond of depicting situations where more than one man is in love with the same woman and she must choose which suitor to marry.
* MadeASlave: Nubia starts the series as a slave. Many other children are also kidnapped and enslaved, forming the basis of the plots for ''The Pirates of Pompeii'' and ''The Colossus of Rhodes.'' [[spoiler: The Four Detectives are briefly captured in ''The Pirates of Pompeii'' and are going to be sold as slaves. Jonathan is also briefly enslaved in ''The Assassins of Rome'', and at the end of ''The Enemies of Jupiter'' he uses the brand mark to pose as a slave. Three of the Four Detectives are captured yet again in ''The Colossus of Rhodes''.]].
* ManlyMenCanHunt: Jonathan, Lupus, Aristo and Aristo's friend Lysander hunt on a regular basis.
* MeaningfulFuneral: Happens in [[spoiler: ''The Gladiators from Capua'' and ''The Slave-girl from Jerusalem.'']]
* MeaningfulRename: Nubia is really the name that was given by the slave dealers to [[spoiler: Shepenwepet]] when she is made a slave. When she is freed, she decides to keep the name, saying "Nubia can be my new name for my new life."
* MeaningfulName: A number of characters have names whose meanings in Latin or Greek reflect their characteristics. Just a few are listed here.
** Lupus, the name of the wild character, means wolf. This is also a partial example of AnimalThemeNaming although it does not fit that trope perfectly because Lupus is the only one with an animal name.
** Felix is a very fortunate (both rich and lucky) man, as one might expect from the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_%28name%29 meaning of his name.]]
** Marcus Geminus and Gaius Geminus are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini twin brothers]]
** Flavia is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavia_%28name%29 fair haired girl.]]
* TheMedic: Dr. Mordecai
* TheMentor: Dr. Mordecai, Aristo and several other adults play the role to varying degrees.
* MessyMaggots: In "The Dolphins of Laurentum", after Marcus Flavius Geminus has been injured in a shipwreck, Dr. Mordecai informs him that the sores on his feet will turn gangrenous soon and he has only two options: maggot therapy, or amputation. The captain manages to croak, ''"maggots, please"''.
** Mordecai conscripts all the children to fetch needed supplies to treat Captain Geminus' wounds. Jonathan and Lupus get the [[DirtyBusiness worst job]]: going to the meat market and searching the gutters for the biggest, most rancid, maggot-infested piece of discarded meat they can find.
** In the TV adaptation, a much-improved Marcus teases Flavia that he can still feel them wriggling under the bandages and offers to let her peek. With a shudder, she declines.
* MistakenForCheating: [[spoiler: Pliny the Elder and Rectina, in ''The Secrets of Vesuvius'']]
* MisterBig: [[spoiler: The head of an illegal kidnapping ring turns out to have dwarvism.]]
* MonumentalBattle: Lupus gets into a fight onto of the remnants of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collosus the Collosus]], in a deliberate ShoutOut to ''Film/NorthByNorthwest''.
* MurderByMistake: In ''The Fugitive From Corinth'' [[spoiler: Marcus Flavius Geminus is stabbed and almost killed by a person attempting to murder Aristo.]]
** A beggar boy that was given a tunic by Lupus is thrown into a [[SharkPool crocodile pit]] when he is mistaken for Lupus.
* MusicForCourage: The Four Detectives play music for refugees in ''The Pirates of Pompeii''.
* MysteryTropes: A wide variety of standard mystery story tropes are used throughout the series.
** MysteryFiction: Most of the stories center around mysteries that the four main characters must solve.
** MysteryMagnet: Flavia
* MysteriousPast: Lupus's origins and the reason he has no tongue are not revealed until several books into the series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes N though S]]
* NakedOnArrival: Nubia is first shown as a naked slave being prepared for auction.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Gaius Flavius Geminus dies at sea in a shipwreck. The body is never recovered, however it is strongly implied that he was KilledOffForReal.]]
* NoSparks: Flavia and [[spoiler: Jonathan]] agree they're this after their PracticeKiss in Sirens of Surrentum, and the only thing they noticed was what the other one had for lunch.
* OfferingsToTheGods: Flavia's family (and most people they meet) believe in the Roman gods, so this trope is inevitable. At the end of ''The Prophet from Ephesus'', Nubia and Aristo object to this due to [[spoiler: their recent conversion to Christianity]].
* OhMyGods: Pollux! Juno! Great Jupiter's eyebrows! Great Neptune's beard!
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Several slave boys are described this way.
* PaintingTheMedium: THE AUTHOR USES ALL CAPS TO INDICATE THAT LUPUS COMMUNICATES THROUGH WRITING (IN LATIN CAPITAL LETTERS) ON A WAX TABLET
* PairTheSmartOnes: [[spoiler: Lawyer Flaccus and 'detectrix' Flavia. In fact what makes him kiss her for the first time? Her figuring out the clue to win his court case!]]
* ParentsAsPeople: As the series continues the adults' own flaws and issues are dealt with: [[spoiler: Jonathan's mother abandoned her family to be with another man, Gaius runs away out of grief after Miriam dies and the previously saintly Mordecai becomes an alcoholic.]]
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler: Lupus and Threptus. Threptus will become the main character of a spin-off series.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: All four of the main characters have {{Missing Mom}}s. Nubia and Lupus undergo an OrphansOrdeal and Jonathan and Flavia both have times when their fathers are literally or figuratively distant.
* PlayAlongPrisoner: [[spoiler: When Jonathan has been ChainedToARock ([[CrucifiedHeroShot actually he was tied to a cross]]) in order to be FedToTheBeasts, the person that ties him up makes the ropes too loose so that he can escape at the right moment. When the beast that is supposed to eat him shows up, it turns out to be a [[AndroclesLion harmless lion that Jonathan already knows.]] He then SlipsTheRopes and climbs onto the lion, riding it out of the arena. Those trying to execute him see this as a sign from the gods that he should be spared.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: Well, not completely useless, but the only thing they seem to be useful for are locking up the criminals that Flavia and friends have identified. Of course, historic Rome did not have anything approaching modern police forces and professional, scientific criminal investigation techniques, so this is probably not far from the truth.
* PhoneInDetective: Though obviously there are no phones involved, Flavia does this a few times, most notably in ''The Legionary from Londinium'' in which she deduces the location of a treasure hoard from another country. In her introduction Caroline Lawrence calls this trope "an armchair mystery."
* PitTrap: Used in ''The Beggar of Volubilis'' to trap peoples that pursuing the main characters.
* ThePlague: A [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus#Challenges historical plague]] that hit Rome in 80 AD is featured in ''The Enemies of Jupiter''.
* PluckyGirl: Flavia
* PracticeKiss: Flavia has a PracticeKiss with [[spoiler: Jonathan.]]
* {{Pride}}: Pride of the hubris variety is one of the explicit themes of ''The Enemies of Jupiter''.
* RagsToRiches: Lupus goes from being a beggar boy to [[spoiler: owning his own ship.]]
* RecountedByTheMainCharacters: The does not apply to most of the series, but it partially applies to ''The Roman Mysteries Treasury''. The text of the book is written as if it is a report assembled by Flavia Gemina, with her and her friends and family each writing a different chapter on a topic that Flavia assigned to them.
* RescueIntroduction: In the first book, Flavia meets Jonathan when he rescues her in the graveyard. Less dramatically, Flavia rescues Nubia from a lifetime of slavery.
* RomanceArc: Flavia and Nubia both go through a RomanceArc that eventually [[spoiler: leads to both of them being married in the last chapter.]]
** RomanticFalseLead
** RomanticRunnerUp
* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler: Nubia has the opportunity to free one gladiator from slavery. She has to choose between her brother and her friend Jonathan.]]
** [[spoiler: Lupus has to decide between saving his friends and stopping his mother from being sacrificed. He saves his friends and although the sacrifice doesn't actually take his mother's life, it means he can never see her again.]]
* TheScapegoat: [[spoiler:Jonathan]] is blamed for the burning of Rome, causing him to become a CondemnedContestant.
* ScarsAreForever: Lupus's missing tongue.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Most of the book titles, when they refer to a character, refer to a secondary character or groups of characters that are pivotal to the plot but are not one of the series's four main characters.
* SeaStories: Most of the series would not qualify, however ''The Colossus of Rhodes'' would. Not only is it about ship voyage through the Mediterranean Sea, but the story also incorporates explicit parallels to one of the SeaStories of Myth/ClassicalMythology, namely ''Jason and The Argonauts''.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Introspective, moody Jonathan and hot-tempered, street-smart Lupus are a kid version of this.
* SettleForSibling: [[spoiler: Marcus Flavius ends up getting married to a sister of his deceased fiancée.]]
* SharkPool: With [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles]].
* SherlockScan: Flavia does this several times, including in ''The Secrets of Vesuvius'' and ''The Legionary from Lodinium.''
* ShoutOut: A number of them, including:
** "He will [[Franchise/StarTrek live long and prosper]]."
** [[Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum "A funny thing happened on the way to the forum."]]
* ShrineToTheFallen: The books show the Roman custom of displaying the death masks of ancestors.
* SickAndWrong: This trope could be a rough translation of the Roman concept of "nefas" which is described in ''The Sirens of Surrentum''.
* SideKick: Nubia is described by the author as Flavia's faithful sidekick.
* SlaveBrand: Jonathon is branded with one in ''The Assassins of Rome''. It continues to cause him trouble in later books.
* SlaveLiberation: Granting freedom to household slaves was actually common practice among the Romans. There are several examples of slaves being set free, but the most notable one is [[spoiler:Flavia freeing her slave girl Nubia, by inviting her to recline at her coach.]]
** In ''The Slave Girl of Jerusalem'' the Roman custom of freeing slaves upon the death of their master is an important plot point.
* SnoopingLittleKid: Lupus uses his skills at snooping, sneaking and eavesdropping several times throughout the series.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Miriam laments the fact that she is so attractive that she is always attracting an unwanted level of male interest.
** Inverted and deconstructed in ''The Sirens of Surrentum'': Pulchra gives Flavia some BrutalHonesty and tells her that Nubia is beautiful but Flavia is not, but that is actually a great advantage; Pulchra's own mother often says ''"only boring girls need to be beautiful"'', and Flavia is anything but boring, which means that when a man decides to love her, she will know it is for herself, not her looks.
* TheSpeechless: Lupus is upable to speak because his tongue has been cut out.
* [[ShowWithinAShow Show Within A Book]]: The ''The Beggar of Volubilis'' depicts a traveling troupe of actors who end up putting on a play with the Four Detectives. They perform [[http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/dance-17.shtml pantomime]] of the Roman variety, related to but not quite identicle to {{pantomime}} of the modern British variety.
* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: [[spoiler: Nubia in ''The Scribes of Alexandria'' gets as far as the borders of her own country, but realizes that she no longer fits into her own country.]]
* StreetUrchin: Several examples appear in the series, however the most notable is Lupus, who becomes one of the four main characters.
* StartsWithTheirFuneral: ''The Gladiators of Capua'' starts with a memorial service for [[spoiler: Jonathan.]]
* StealthHiBye: Nubia is quiet and good at disappearing undetected. She does it often enough for Flavia and Jonathan to always wonder how she does it. Lupus is another example, though he does it less frequently.
* SuccessionCrisis: Part of the plot in ''The Man from Pomegranate Street'', as the result of the death of Roman Emperor Titus.
* SweetPollyOliver: [[spoiler: In ''The Scribes of Alexandria'' a girl disguises herself as a eunuch in other to study as in the Library of Alexandria. This leads to a SweetOnPollyOliver situation with a male scribe. In ''The Fugitive from Corinth'' another girl disguises herself as a beggar boy. Flavia and Nubia both disguise themselves as boy at times.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes T though Z]]
* TakingTheVeil: [[spoiler: Melissa, Lupus' mother,]] does the pagan version of this when she dedicates her life to serving Apollo.
* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler:Jonathan]] takes this on when he becomes a gladiator and adopts a new name.
* TeamDad: Marcus Flavius Geminus and Doctor Mordecai.
* TeamMom: Alma acts as a ParentalSubstitute to Flavia, and to a lesser degree all four of the main characters.
* TeamPet: Nipur, Scuto and Tigris are {{Canine Companion}}s of Nubia, Flavia and Jonathan respectively.
* TheHeart: Nubia
* TheWatson: Nubia, although far from dumb, often has to have words or concepts explained to her because she is not yet fluent in Latin. This doubles as a way for the author to explain terminology to her young readers in an in-universe way.
* ThisIsMyNameOnForeign: [[spoiler:Lupus's actual name is Lukos. However, both names simply mean "wolf." This does not follow the trope perfectly, because it is not an alias that Lupus picks for himself.]]
* TomBoy: Flavia, and to a greater degree Diana, are mild tomboys by modern standards but are most especially tomboys by Roman standards.
** TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Flavia and Miriam are an amicable version while Flavia and Pulchra are more antagonistic. Nubia falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
* TragicDream: Jonathan dreams of [[spoiler: bringing back his enslaved MissingMom and reuniting his parents. This is despite knowing their ArrangedMarriage had problems and his mother was unfaithful to Mordecai. He eventually succeeds in getting them back together but his mother is still distant from the family and they never achieve the happy, idyllic marriage he imagined.]]
* TranslationConvention: Most of the characters are really speaking Latin or Greek, however it is normally depicted in English. When the author intends for a line of dialogue to not be understood by the main characters or the audience, she will say that a certain character said something in a given language rather than reproduce the words the character says.
* {{Tragedy}}: The characters discuss tragedies and the purpose of tragedies in general, and several Classical Greek tragedies in particular.
* TrojanHorse: Discussed in ''The Charioteer of Delphi'', when [[spoiler: the rescue and return of Sagitta]] is almost too easy. Jonathan even names this trope when thinking over the situation.
* TrojanPrisoner: [[spoiler: Bato]] pulls this off with Aristo to rescue the main characters in ''The Prophet from Ephesus''.
* TrueCompanions: The four main characters Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus, who acknowledge they have a bond closer than friends or family. The circle often extends to include Aristo, Marcus, Mordecai, Miriam, Gaius, occasionally Caudex and Alma, and later on [[spoiler: Flaccus.]]
* TwinSwitch: Gaius poses as Marcus in one of the books.
* TwoferTokenMinority: Jonathan and his family are Jewish and Christian. Of course, being a Christian may not seem to be a minority thing to most modern Western readers, but they are minorities in pagan Rome.
* UndignifiedDeath: In one of the short stories, a body is found with its head immersed in a public piss pot.
* UnexpectedInheritance: [[spoiler: Lupus is the heir to Venalicius when he dies, and gets the slave ship Vespa. The ship is turned into the [[MeaningfulRename Delphina]] and is used to replace the ship that Marcus Flavius lost in tsunami.]]
* UnreliableExpositor: A number of characters state scientific, medical or geographic facts that are now known to be inaccurate, but do correspond to what educated people in the 1st century AD Rome actually believed.
* UnwillingSuspension: Happens to [[spoiler: Jonathan]] in ''The Scribes from Alexandria''.
* VowOfCelibacy: Flavia (and Nubia) take one at the start of ''The Beggar of Volubilis'', much to the dismay of Flavia's father and [[spoiler: Flaccus]].
* WhileRomeBurns: Inverted in a big way. [[spoiler: Rome literally burns in ''The Enemies of Jupiter'', but the main characters are certainly not fiddling while it happened.]]
* WorldOfNoGrandparents: None of the main characters have grandparents take any major role in the story. Most of the grandparents are dead. Given the low life expectancy of this time period, this is highly realistic.
* WrongGuyFirst: Flavia's first crush is on [[spoiler: Publius Pollus Felix]] who is rich, handsome, charming, witty and charismatic. Unfortunately, he is also [[spoiler: married and TheCasanova]]. This results in a lot of LoveHurts feelings.
** WrongGuyFirst: [[spoiler: Aristo realizes his feelings for Miriam were just infatuation and falls in love with Nubia instead.]]
* YouAreGrounded: This happens to Flavia in ''Twelve Tasks of Flavia.''
* YouAreNumberSix: Several Roman characters have names based on numbers, such as Sextus and Quintus. However, this does not have the same dehumanizing or secret identity implications it would in modern times, because these were normal real life Roman names.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: [[spoiler: The four detectives and their families can't stay in Ostia at the end, because they are exiled.]]
* YouMeddlingKids: The most notable example of this is the ending of ''The Thieves of Ostia'', though the final unveiling of the villain in "The Slave-girl from Jerusalem" includes the words 'And you would have gotten away with it [except]... you didn't count on these four brave children, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.'
[[/folder]]

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