Dominus: A Novel of the Roman Empire

Summary

A.D. 165: The Empire of Rome has reached its pinnacle. Pax Romana reigns from Britannia to Egypt, from Gaul to Greece. Emperor Marcus Aurelius oversees a golden age, and the ancient Pinarius family of artisans embellishes the greatest city on Earth with gilded statues and towering marble monuments. But history does not stand still. The years to come bring wars, plagues, fires, and famines. The best emperors in history are succeeded by some of the worst. Barbarians descend, eventually appearing before the gates of Rome itself. Chaos engulfs the empire.

Through it all, the Pinarius family endures, thanks in no small part to the fascinum, a protective talisman older than Rome itself, handed down through countless generations.

But on the fringes of society, a troublesome cult disseminates dangerous and seditious ideas. They call themselves Christians. Some emperors deal with the Christians with toleration, others with bloody persecution. Then one emperor does the unthinkable. He becomes a Christian himself, and the revolution he sets in motion will change the world forever.

Spanning 160 years and seven generations, teeming with some of ancient Rome’s most fascinating figures, Saylor’s epic brings to vivid life one of the most tumultuous and consequential chapters of human history, filled with events that reverberate still.