,

The best novels set in ancient history, including ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and other civilizations.

For novels set in the early Middle Ages (after the fall of the Roman Empire), see Fiction set in 5th to 10th centuries.
For novels set in prehistory, before written records existed, see Best Pre-History Fiction
1

by
4.24 avg rating — 74,075 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2

by
4.30 avg rating — 2,072,339 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
3

by
3.88 avg rating — 54,740 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
4

by
4.18 avg rating — 11,400 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
5

by
3.97 avg rating — 10,529 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
6

by
3.96 avg rating — 10,468 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
7

by
4.22 avg rating — 1,397,039 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
8

by
4.14 avg rating — 4,777 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
9

by
4.14 avg rating — 24,645 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
4.09 avg rating — 41,366 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
11

by
3.96 avg rating — 12,180 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
12

by
4.21 avg rating — 636,781 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
13

by
3.93 avg rating — 520,394 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
14

by
4.12 avg rating — 31,078 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
15

by
4.97 avg rating — 69 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
16

by
4.21 avg rating — 36,998 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
17

by
4.40 avg rating — 44,823 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
18

by
4.02 avg rating — 5,179 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
19

by
4.09 avg rating — 4,309 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
20

by
4.20 avg rating — 16,965 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
21

by
4.14 avg rating — 42,092 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
4.01 avg rating — 42,700 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
23

by
4.20 avg rating — 83,257 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
24

by
4.01 avg rating — 31,930 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
25

by
3.87 avg rating — 18,084 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
3.97 avg rating — 12,271 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
4.14 avg rating — 4,662 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
28

by
3.94 avg rating — 12,231 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
4.06 avg rating — 6,325 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
3.88 avg rating — 4,538 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
31

by
4.26 avg rating — 22,367 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
4.24 avg rating — 27,441 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
33

by
3.84 avg rating — 1,217,227 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
34

by
4.40 avg rating — 8,835 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
4.29 avg rating — 7,824 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
36

by
4.24 avg rating — 13,841 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.21 avg rating — 26,921 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
38

by
3.78 avg rating — 1,095 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
39

by
4.03 avg rating — 38,056 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
40

by
3.94 avg rating — 8,838 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.75 avg rating — 7,309 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
42

by
3.89 avg rating — 15,823 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
43

by
4.33 avg rating — 13,403 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
44

by
4.23 avg rating — 44,364 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.26 avg rating — 1,540 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
46

by
3.73 avg rating — 6,776 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
4.40 avg rating — 8,467 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
48

by
4.04 avg rating — 6,633 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
49

by
4.02 avg rating — 28,525 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
50

by
4.34 avg rating — 6,642 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
3.79 avg rating — 4,577 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
4.18 avg rating — 9,113 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
4.44 avg rating — 2,253 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
54

by
4.08 avg rating — 2,445 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.03 avg rating — 2,988 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
56

by
3.83 avg rating — 4,210 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
4.26 avg rating — 20,932 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
58

by
4.13 avg rating — 4,011 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
59

by
4.41 avg rating — 48,793 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
60

by
3.97 avg rating — 13,183 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
61

by
4.08 avg rating — 5,964 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
62

by
4.45 avg rating — 6,638 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
63

by
3.97 avg rating — 1,637 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.03 avg rating — 6,652 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
65

by
3.88 avg rating — 145,742 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
3.97 avg rating — 2,290 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
67

by
4.20 avg rating — 21,643 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
68

by
3.84 avg rating — 28,547 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
69

by
4.14 avg rating — 1,957 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
70

by
4.19 avg rating — 1,842 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
71

by
4.03 avg rating — 625 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
72

by
4.21 avg rating — 317 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
73

by
3.77 avg rating — 2,889 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
74

by
3.80 avg rating — 25,628 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
75

by
4.03 avg rating — 23,163 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
76

by
4.47 avg rating — 815 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
3.89 avg rating — 3,073 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
78

by
3.83 avg rating — 1,375 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
79

by
4.23 avg rating — 8,295 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
80

by
3.92 avg rating — 2,326 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
80

by
3.99 avg rating — 3,097 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.25 avg rating — 1,791 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
83

by
3.76 avg rating — 4,551 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
4.18 avg rating — 941 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 10 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
86

by
3.93 avg rating — 3,050 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
87

by
4.57 avg rating — 110,075 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
88

by
4.05 avg rating — 3,591 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
3.89 avg rating — 116,068 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
90

by
4.16 avg rating — 8,598 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.11 avg rating — 16,464 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
3.82 avg rating — 10,185 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.40 avg rating — 416 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
94

by
4.02 avg rating — 3,299 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
95

by
4.07 avg rating — 5,469 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
95

by
3.76 avg rating — 121,203 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
97

by
3.87 avg rating — 6,404 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
98

by
3.82 avg rating — 7,333 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
99

by
4.27 avg rating — 1,880 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
100

by
4.14 avg rating — 2,893 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
518 books · 433 voters · list created April 24th, 2011 by Shalee (votes) .
206 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Shalee 742 books
80 friends
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3388 books
851 friends
Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
365 friends
Bettie 15686 books
19 friends
Thom 6022 books
293 friends
Derya 914 books
71 friends
Selen 173 books
77 friends
Benny 1305 books
70 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Fonch (new)

Fonch One question because in this list of the Peplum novels are not included the Martyrs of Chateaubriand, The Lance of Louis de Whol, Fabiola of Wiseman, and Lausus the Etruscian and Marco the Roman and S.P.Q.R and Sinuhue the Egyptian?


message 2: by Fonch (new)

Fonch Other complain Baudolino is a novel of the Midle Age, not a novel of the Ancient age, it was retired of this competition.


message 3: by Fonch (new)

Fonch Other Thing where is the Assirian the Nicholas Guild Novel?.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads You can, of course, add books to the list. Up at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."


message 5: by Fonch (new)

Fonch Dear Susana i discover acidentaly this thing. Thank you for saying me this thing. You have a beautiful profile head. I continue mantaining that Baudolino would have disqualifaying, because is a novel of the Midle Age, not a novel of the ancient age, your servant Fonch.
PD. I like very much who exist persons who like the Peplum.


message 6: by Fonch (new)

Fonch Like i am spanish and European, we consider that the ancient story conclude with the dethronement to the Emperor Romulus Augustulus by the Barbarian Odoacer. We thought that Byzantium, in spite being the orient roman empire is medieval for this reason my critics for the apparation of Baudoline.


message 7: by Manray9 (last edited Jan 17, 2016 07:48PM) (new)

Manray9 Apparently there are readers who do not understand the definition of the word novel. I have removed: The Aeneid, Titus Andronicus and The Jewish War by Flavius Josephus.


message 8: by Fonch (new)

Fonch Manray9 wrote: "Apparently there are readers who do not understand the definition of the word novel. I have removed: The Aeneid, Titus Andronicus and The Jewish War by Flavius Josephus."

Well it is good removed Titus Andronicus is a play, a fiction play of the end of the Roman Empire II Century or III Century. Historical is not real like Caesar, Coriolanus, or Marc Anthony. The Aeneid is a poem and the Jewish War is a History of the Jews. I have eliminated some that are a plays. I am sorry.


back to top



Related News

Here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we sort through a lot of books each month. Our monthly Readers’ Most Anticipated Books feature is exactly...

Anyone can add books to this list.