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Merging Category:Children's books set in the 1st century to Category:Works set in the 1st century and Category:Children's books set in antiquity per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 May 12#Children's books set in ancient history and Middle Ages

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{{short description|2007 novella by Caroline Lawrence}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox book | 
| name = The Code of Romulus
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = The Code of Romulus cover.jpg
| caption = World Book Day edition
| author = [[Caroline Lawrence]]
| illustrator =
| cover_artist = Peter Sutton,<br>Fred van Deelen
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| series = [[The Roman Mysteries]]
| genre = [[Historical novel]]
| publisher = [[Orion Publishing Group|Orion Childrens Books]]
| pub_date = 1 February 2007
| english_pub_date =
| media_type = Print ([[Paperback]])
| pages = 80pp
| isbn = 978-1-84255-580-4
| oclc= 73956799
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
'''''The Code of Romulus''''' is a children's novella by [[Caroline Lawrence]], published in 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of [[World Book Day]]. It is a re-publication of the short story ''Bread and Circuses'' that appeared in the anthology ''The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunits'' published in 2003.

The story takes place in [[Ostia Antica|Ostia]] in November 79 AD, between the events of the fifth and sixth books (''[[The Dolphins of Laurentum]]'' and ''[[The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina]]''.)

==Plot summary==
The story begins with [[Flavia Gemina]], the protagonist of the book, arguing with her tutor, [[List of characters in The Roman Mysteries#A|Aristo]]. Flavia insists that she is a detective, though Aristo doubts there is such a word. Aristo says that if Flavia can solve the mystery of who has been stealing rolls from [[List of characters in The Roman Mysteries#P|Pistor the Baker]], then they will not do maths for a month, just read stories. However, if Flavia fails, she can never mention the word "detective" again.

Flavia and her friends realise that the theft must be an inside job, and decide to find out more about the baker's household. They make friends with the baker's younger son, [[List of characters in The Roman Mysteries#P|Porcius]], who shows them around the bakery and introduces them to his family and the slaves who work there. He also shows them his "Circus Minimus", where he races mice. [[List of characters in The Roman Mysteries#Nubia|Nubia]] is especially interested in the donkeys who turn the [[millstone]].

The next day they split up to follow the different suspects. [[List of characters in The Roman Mysteries#Lupus|Lupus]] follows Porcius and his brother to school, Nubia follows his sister to the temple, and [[Jonathan ben Mordecai|Jonathan]] follows the slave Teneme to the granary, while Flavia talks to the slave Tertius, the bakery accountant. He shows her the magic square puzzle, the [[Sator square]], which eventually leads her to the solution of the mystery.

Flavia and Nubia attend a secret pre-dawn gathering of Christians and unmask the well-meaning thief, but promise not to tell on condition the stealing stops.

==Allusions to other works==
Aristo is shocked to hear that Flavia has been reading [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', which is full of "unsuitable" stories, but he admits it is a masterpiece and agrees to read them excerpts. Flavia later secretly consults the scroll to understand Tertius's reference to [[Erysichthon of Thessaly|Erysichthon]].

Jonathan refers to the [[Tanak]], particularly the [[Psalms]] which he appears to know by heart. He also begins to teach Flavia the [[Pater Noster]].

==External links==
{{Portal|Children's literature}}
*[http://www.booksforkeeps.co.uk/news/25417 Books for Keeps: World Book Day 2007]
*[http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/caroline-lawrence/code-of-romulus.htm The Code of Romulus at Fantastic Fiction]
*[http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/books/p/mammothehodunni.htm Review of ''The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718165439/http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/books/p/mammothehodunni.htm |date=18 July 2008 }}

{{The Roman Mysteries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Code of Romulus, The}}
[[Category:2007 British novels]]
[[Category:The Roman Mysteries]]
[[Category:2007 children's books]]
[[Category:Children's novellas]]
[[Category:Orion Books books]]
[[Category:79]]
[[Category:Ostia (ancient city)]]
[[Category:Children's books set in ancient Rome]]
[[Category:Children's books set in antiquity]]
[[Category:Works set in the 1st century]]

{{2000s-child-hist-novel-stub}}

The Code of Romulus - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Merging :Category:Children's books set in the 1st century to :Category:Works set in the 1st century and :Category:Children's books set in antiquity per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 May 12#Children's books set in ancient history and Middle Ages