Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro (70 19 BCE), known as Virgil, was Romes preeminent poet during the Augustan era. Born near Mantua, he studied rhetoric and philosophy in Milan and Naples, where Epicureanism shaped his early worldview. His upbringing in rural Cisalpine Gaul informed his sensitivity to agrarian life, later reflected in « The Eclogues » a response to land confiscations after Philippi. Virgils literary trilogy « The Eclogues », « Georgics », and the epic « Aeneid » redefined Latin literature. While « The Eclogues » established pastoral poetry with its blend of Theocritean models and Roman realities, his later works celebrated Romes imperial destiny. Patronized by Maecenas and Emperor Augustus, Virgil became a cultural icon who balanced political engagement with artistic idealism. His death in Brundisium left the « Aeneid » unfinished, yet his legacy endures as Europes foundational poet.