P. Vergilius Maro

About the Author

P. Vergilius Maro, commonly known as Virgil, was a preeminent Roman poet born in 70 BCE near Mantua in Cisalpine Gaul. Educated in rhetoric and philosophy in Rome and Naples, he became a key figure in the literary circle patronized by Maecenas under Augustus. Virgil's works masterfully blend epic grandeur with intimate human emotion, exploring themes of destiny, piety, and the Roman ideal. His masterpiece, the Aeneid (Hackett Classics), an unfinished epic of twelve books, chronicles the Trojan hero Aeneas's arduous journey from the ruins of Troy to found the origins of Rome, serving as both a national epic and a profound meditation on empire and exile. Though he requested its destruction upon his death in 19 BCE, the Aeneid endured as a cornerstone of Western literature, influencing poets from Dante to Milton.