The Matter of Rome cycle contained tales of Greek and Roman mythology alongside history from classical antiquity. Jean Bodel divided all stories into three great cycles in the twelfth century, placing this group at its center with military heroes like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.
Jean Bodel created the classification system that divided all stories into three great cycles including the Matter of France, the Matter of Britain, and the Matter of Rome. This framework turned scattered myths into a structured literary universe for medieval audiences.
Medieval Western poets relied on two short prose narratives attributed to Dictys Cretensis and Dares Phrygius because they could not read Homer's Iliad or Odyssey. A Norman poet named Benoît de Sainte-Maure used these limited sources to create Le Roman de Troie which stretched across 40,000 lines.
The Romance of Thebes appeared in 1155 as a French retelling based on Statius' first-century Latin poem Thebaid. It included a romantic bond between Parthenopæus and Antigone where Greek sources had none.
Medieval writers transformed classical warriors like Alexander the Great and Achilles into knights of chivalry who wore armor matching twelfth-century fashion instead of bronze shields. Military episodes multiplied within these tales to include scenes of knight-errantry and tournaments while adding elements of courtly love.