The Republic
Virgil
He wrote the Aeneid, Rome’s great epic poem.
Years. 70 BC to 19 BC
We are not sure. The story that he wanted the poem burned comes from later biographers. It may be true. It may be a dramatic tale.
Three short facts
- 1He grew up near Mantua, in northern Italy.
- 2His poem follows a hero named Aeneas.
- 3He asked for the Aeneid to be burned. Augustus saved it.
The story
Virgil wrote about farms, then about a hero who sails from fallen Troy to Italy.
Romans read the Aeneid as their origin poem.
It is beautiful.
It is also written to honor Augustus.