A while back on here there was a thread discussing recent archaeological speculation on whether or not a "lost" legion of Rome, taken prisoner by the Parthians at the battle of Carrhae, had ended up on Parthia's eastern border 20 years later and a fought a battle against the Chinese. I remember thinking that would make a fantastic subject for a novel or short story.
Recently I've been reading Herodotus, and finding you can open to almost any page and pick out an anecdote or passage which could easily be expanded and translated into a work of speculative fiction.
I'm particularly interested in writing some short stories set in ancient Greece and Rome. What do you think would be some interesting subjects to explore in this area?

As someone who's lately become acquainted with the study of the classics and classical languages, I agree that there are probably a lot of unexplored areas in this time period that can be translated into a work fiction. I haven't read Herodotus to know what you are talking about but it is an interesting area to explore I agree. I suppose it depends on what angle you want your fictional work to take. That is, do you want it to be speculative history about the period or purely about fictional characters that happened to have lived in that period?

There have been records of Buddhist Missionaries from Ashoka going to as far as Greece and Egypt. It would be a rather interesting discussion between a Buddhist Monk and a... who knows, Greek Philosopher?

There have been records of Buddhist Missionaries from Ashoka going to as far as Greece and Egypt. It would be a rather interesting discussion between a Buddhist Monk and a... who knows, Greek Philosopher?
One of the older Buddhist texts is a dialogue between a certain Bakhtrian ruler of Greek origin "Milinda" (in Greek "Menander"), of one of these Greek dynasties left behind in India, and the sage Nagasena.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/milinda.htm

You got a considerable number of Greeks traipsing about in India in those days as well. Apparently Aristotle's successor as leader of his Athenian Academy, Theophrastus, recieved lots of new information about animals and plants previoulsy unknown to the Greeks from people travelling in India after the campaigns of Alexander.

There have been records of Buddhist Missionaries from Ashoka going to as far as Greece and Egypt. It would be a rather interesting discussion between a Buddhist Monk and a... who knows, Greek Philosopher?

True. You could probably get a closet drama out of it.

What about a Classical Greek Lonely Planet style guide to different parts of the Known World?

Another possiblity could be a crime thriller about some fishy business in your local Carthaginian/Phoenician port.


Anyhow, continuing on the religion idea, in Ethiopia (AD time), there were healthy minority communities of many religions, including Zoroastranism, Judaism, Hindu, etc. etc., even Buddhist. It would be interesting to see how they would all interact.

There have been records of Buddhist Missionaries from Ashoka going to as far as Greece and Egypt. It would be a rather interesting discussion between a Buddhist Monk and a... who knows, Greek Philosopher?
There were certainly some Greek philosophers who would get on quite well with Buddhists- guys like Diogenes or Zeno pretty much the same basic approach to life as Buddha, give or take a bit of mysticism.

^true. I remember one, forgot his name, he sounded EXACTLY like any random Taoist. Its rather interesting to think what could've happened if it were these guys and not the other guys that would lay the foundation for Western thought...

I read a short novel based on the lost Roman legions at Carrhae a few months ago. Can't remember the name at the moment.

I read a short novel based on the lost Roman legions at Carrhae a few months ago. Can't remember the name at the moment.

Is this it?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FTCQ2H9WL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

How about a novel about China reaching the Americas during a two year round world voyage? Oh wait...

I would like to know what would've happened if the schisms that occurred during the Crisis of the Third Century weren't reversed.

Well, if you include Byzantium as Rome... how about a nice little story on Theodora ;)???

Is this it?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FTCQ2H9WL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

Hmm not that one, but that looks like a good book.

There have been records of Buddhist Missionaries from Ashoka going to as far as Greece and Egypt. It would be a rather interesting discussion between a Buddhist Monk and a... who knows, Greek Philosopher?

Clement of Alexandria is the first westerner to mention the Buddha, but alas, he says very little. I've read accounts of Clement's thought which have claimed that his whole philosophy was based upon trying to come to terms with Buddhism, but I think that's going just a little bit far...

I always thought that the career of Theophilus of Alexandria would make a great novel. J. N. D. Kelly's biography of his nemesis, John Chrysostom - Golden Mouth - is almost like a novel already.