The Roman Mysteries

The Roman Mysteries is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, "The Thieves of Ostia", was published in 2001, finishing with "The Man from Pomegranate Street", published in 2009, and 17 more novels were planned, plus a number of "mini-mysteries", spin offs and companion titles.
The books take place in the ancient time period Roman Empire during the reign of the Emperor Titus. They detail the adventures of four children who solve mysteries and have adventures in Ostia Antica, Rome, Greece, and beyond: Flavia, a rich Roman girl who lives in Ostia; Nubia, a freed slave girl from Africa; Jonathan, a rich Jewish boy; and Lupus, an orphaned mute beggar boy.
Sequel trilogy.
In 2008 a sequel trilogy for young adults was proposed, with the main characters being Jonathan's 14-year-old orphaned twin nephews. The stories would have been partly set in Roman Britain. The first book was to be published in March 2010. The working title for the trilogy was the Flavian Trilogy, with individual stories "Brothers of Jackals", "Companion of Owls" and "Prey of Lions". On her blog and website, Caroline Lawrence has said the content was deemed "too edgy" for the Roman Mysteries brand and as a result has been put on hold indefinitely.
In April 2010, author Caroline Lawrence announced that she is planning a spinoff for younger readers. The main character will be Threptus, an 8-year-old Ostian beggar boy who makes appearances in the final Roman Mystery, "The Man from Pomegranate Street" and the final short story in "The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries".
Special features.
Each of the novels has at least one map of the area covered in the story, sometimes also plans or diagrams; these are by Richard Russell Lawrence. The chapters are called scrolls, after the rolls of papyrus which were Roman 'books', and are numbered with Roman numerals. The glossary explaining Roman terms is called "Aristo's Scroll", after Flavia's tutor, and the author's note, which separates fact from fiction, is called "The Last Scroll".
TV series.
The BBC produced a television series based on the books, entitled "Roman Mysteries". The first season was broadcast in 2007, the second season in 2008.