Letters from Rome, A.D. 138

Letters From Rome, A.D. 138 by Frederic Townsend. This epistolary work presents an imagined correspondence among a circle of Roman figures—Marcus Sertorius, Lucius Virginius, Julia, Valeria, Caius Sertorius, Publius Virginius, Marcellina, and others—written from Rome, Athens, and various provinces during the Hadrianic era. The letters blend political, social, and cultural life, unveiling court intrigues, concerns over the emperor’s health and succession, and responses to sensational events such as the vestal tragedy and the Empress’s position, while also providing intimate family news and anecdotes. Interwoven with discussions of philosophy, literature, art, and architecture, the correspondents move from Capua and Baiae to Marathon and Corinth, offering vivid depictions of Greek temples, Roman theatres, and scholarly circles. The collection offers a panoramic portrait of empire life, balancing sober reflection on virtue and governance with lively observations of travel, education, and the arts, under a frame of historical likeness and literary imagination.