Quintus Caecilius Iucundus

Quintus Caecilius Iucundus is a character in the Cambridge Latin Course series of books, set in the Ancient Roman Empire. He was the son of wealthy banker Lucius Caecilius Iucundus and his wife Metella, both of whom were real people and who lived in Pompeii before 79 AD.

Quintus in the Cambridge Latin Course

In Book One, the reader finds Quintus as a teenager in Pompeii, in 78 AD, the year before it is destroyed by the volcano Mount Vesuvius. As Caecilius is dying, he sends his slave Clemens to find Quintus, and give him the rights to Caecilius' property and fortune. Quintus' dog also dies in the end of the first book Cambridge Latin Course Book 1.

In Book Two, the reader finds Quintus in Roman Britain, living in the house of a distant relative named Salvius, who is also a historical figure. They enjoy several adventures together and with other inhabitants of Britain, including Cogidubnus, the client king of Britain. The book then travels back in time to Alexandria, in Roman Egypt, where Quintus frees his slave Clemens and befriends Barbillus, a very rich Roman. When Barbillus dies, he must find his heir, Rufus, in Britain.

In Book Three, Quintus and Salvius become enemies, as Salvius plots to kill King Cogidubnus. Salvius accuses Quintus of treason, but Quintus follows his moral compass and attempts to foil the murder. Along the way, Quintus finds Rufus, who turns out to be a loyal ally, and gives him the letter from Barbillus. In Book 4 the book moves to Rome. Quintus is not present, and he does not appear again until the last stories of Book Five when Salvius goes on trial.

See also

• Caecilia (gens)
• "The Fires of Pompeii", a Doctor Who episode where Quintus, Lucius, and Metella are characters

Real people with similar names

• Quintus Caecilius Metellus (died 175 BC)
• Quintus Caecilius Metellus (III) (born c. 130 BC)

References

• August Mau, Pompeii: Its Life and Art, trans. Francis W. Kelsey (New York: The Macmillan Company, 2nd ed. 1902), p.507.
• Cambridge Latin Course