Roman · -70–-19
Virgil gave Rome its national epic and Latin literature its greatest poet. Born near Mantua during the turbulent final decades of the Roman Republic, he witnessed the civil wars that ended with Augustus's rise to power. His Eclogues and Georgics established his reputation, but the Aeneid consumed his final decade and defined Roman identity for centuries. The poem follows Aeneas from Troy's fall to Italy's shores, linking Rome's founding to divine destiny. Virgil died before completing final revisions and asked for the manuscript to be burned; Augustus countermanded that wish. Dante chose Virgil as his guide through Hell and Purgatory, embodying the highest achievements of pre-Christian wisdom.