When in Rome . . .

ByAngela Hunt
12 Comments

In January, I think, I handed in my latest novel which is set in Rome. The manuscript came back in February, and I set about making it better per my editor’s notes.

It’s a story about a young woman who ages from 18-22 in the book, and a young man who ages from 22-26. Neither of them are married, which suited the story because they have to get together at the end, you see. (I’m sure you figured that out).

But during the revisions, I learned that in Ancient Rome, all women of childbearing age HAD to be married. If you were widowed, you had to marry again within two years. The same for men–if you were young and, um, viable, you had to procreate and create little Romans!

(Can you imagine if we had the same laws today? Instead, today’s world is doing the opposite. But I digress.)

So I had to do some reworking to figure out how the officials even knew if someone hadn’t married, etc. And how were they punished if they refused to marry? Interesting stuff–so much so that I didn’t mind doing all that rewriting.

The Romans had those marriage laws because, on the surface, they wanted to appear to be pro-family. But underneath it all was the very real fear that the imported slaves were going to overrun them. A single family of five in the city of Rome could have 200 slaves, and only strict laws and benign treatment could prevent slave uprisings.

The Romans fascinate me–they were the first to establish representative rule of the people in their senate, but their Imperial period only illustrated the principle that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In any case, THE DAUGHTER OF ROME will release in Spring/Summer 2025. But for your reading pleasure, THE SISTERS OF CORINTH, book two in the series, releases on May 21. I hope you’ll check. it out!

Are you as fascinated by the Romans as I am? What strikes you about them?

~Angie

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Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who expect the unexpected in novels. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 165 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to non-fiction books, to novels.

12 Comments

  1. I remember reading about the Greeks and Romans during elementary school. Their lifestyles began an interest in me, although I’m sure we received a sheltered version. I have also always had a fascination with the mythology. These books seem so interesting. What was the first one? Guess I can look that up.

    Thank you.

  2. Oh, Angie. I’m fascinated by all types of history, including Ancient Rome. When I read something (like one of your books), then I love to dig in and learn more. This is the first I’d heard of the requirement to marry or remarry, but I did know there was real fear of slaves uprising since there were more slaves than freemen (and women). So it makes sense.

  3. I’ve had a long fascination with Rome and getting to go in 2019 was a dream come true. It blows my mind their architecture feats without our modern day equipment. My stay there was way too short, and I would love to go back and sounds like your book is the perfect vehicle to return me to this extraordinary city and time.

    1. I’ve never been to Rome, but it’s on my bucket list . . . sort of. I wish there was a way we could see everything buried underneath the present day city . . .

    1. I wonder if I could make a Roman cake . . . :-). But knowing what they put into some of their foods, maybe that’s not such a good idea . . .

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