I'm current TAing a class on ancient near Eastern, Greek, and Roman history and my professor want us to give the students some antique themed novels to read over thanksgiving break. We have had Geraldine Brooks "the Secret Chord" and Mary renault's "the Persian Boy" as suggestions.
Do you guys know of any other modern series set in the ancient world that may intrigue the students?
There's The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. It was published in 1834, so you might decide it's too far from our contemporary tastes in literature to assign to students for something that is essentially supposed to be fun, but it was an absolute sensation when first published. It was inspired by a painting by a Russian painter and went on to inspire a good deal of art in Britain and North America.
And, of course, there's I, Claudius by Edward Graves. I've never read it, but many swear by it as a classic.
Does it need to be accurate? The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman is pretty good if not.
You might try "The Masters of Rome" series, by Colleen McCullough, seven books covering roughly from Marius to the ascension of Augustus.