I've always wished I knew more about Romulus Augustulus -- at least, that is, about his years in obscure retirement in what was once the villa of Lucullus on the Campanian coast near Misenum after he abdicated in 476. Just the other day, I discovered that a British historian has actually written a biography of him -- at least, as much of a biography as can be written about someone of whom so little is known. As the author himself concedes: "It is not known when he was born; it is not known when he died; it is not known here he was buried. No speeches, pronouncements, or epigrams have survived. There is no hint of his likes or dislikes; there is no hint of sexuality, conventional or otherwise, to add a frison of historical excitement; there is not even any partucularly gory violence."

Here's a link to the book's entry on Amazon.com. And here's a link to an on-line review of the book, which suggests, perhaps not surprisingly, that the author manages to produce a book-length treatment that is ostensibly about Romulus Augustulus by devoting several chapters to events in the 378-455 A.D. time period and another one about Theodoric the Ostrogoth. I've also found this review and also a short summary of the book's themes by the author himself on-line, which appeared in the March/April issue of Minerva. Apparently, Romulus Augustulus features in some sword-and-sandals epic called The Last Legion that is set to be released this year, so the author's timing would seem to be impeccable.