Caecilius

The Caecilius family, a middle-class Roman family of four, lived in Pompeii in AD 79, just before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The head of the family was prosperous marble merchant Lucius Caecilius Iucundus. Metella was his devout wife. Their children were rebellious youth Quintus Caecilius Iucundus and consecrated priestess Evelina Caecilius Iucundus.

They were spared the fate of their fellow Pompeiians by the Tenth Doctor's timely intervention. By early AD 80, the family had resettled in Rome. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii) One of the family - likely Lucius - wrote an account of their escape from Pompeii; the scroll was recovered in a 1923 archaeological expedition by Professor Livesy-Smythe. (WC: Captain Jack's Monster Files)

Behind the scenes

• The Caecilius family are based on stock characters used in Latin textbooks.
• In the Latin textbooks, only Quintus survives the eruption, while Evelina did not exist.
• The Caecilius family did actually exist, but without Evelina, and you can still see their house at Pompeii.
• Caecilius was actually a banker, not a marble merchant.
• Caecilius may not have experienced the volcano as his banking records stopped shortly before an earthquake in 62, almost 20 years prior.