Caroline Lawrence was born in London, England and grew up in California. She studied Classics at Berkeley, where she won a Marshall Scholarship to Cambridge. There, at Newnham College, she studied Classical Art and Archaeology. After Cambridge, Caroline remained in England, and later took an MA in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College, London. Caroline is the bestselling author of a number of children's books, including the 17-book Roman Mysteries series, which has gone on to sell many hundreds of thousands of copies. Her books have been translated in dozens of languages and have been adapted for television. In 2009, Caroline won the Classical Association Prize for 'a significant contribution to the public understanding of Classics'. All Caroline's books combine her love of art history, ancient languages and travel. Her other passions include cinema, travel and London. Caroline has a son Simon, from a previous marriage, and she now lives by the river in London with her husband Richard. Flora Kirk is a UK-based freelance illustrator specialising in visual depictions of the ancient Mediterranean world. She loves to create art inspired by archaeology sites, ancient myths, and visuals that echo the aesthetics of a time long past. After receiving her BA in Ancient Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Flora spent a year in Transylvania researching Roman coins with the Fulbright Program. The following year, she completed an MA in Museum Studies at Durham University. She now lives along Hadrian's Wall, with a focus on bringing local museum archaeology collections back to life through illustration.