By: Diana Gonzalez

Virgil was a Roman poet His full Latin name is Publius Vergilius Maro Born: October 15, 70 B.C. Andes, near Mantua Italy Died: September 21, 19 B.C. Brundisi The Romans claimed Virgil to be the greatest poet

Virgil was educated in Cremona, Milan, and Rome where he learned about Greek and Roman authors, especially poets He was also trained in rhetoric and philosophy. One of his teachers was Siro the Epicurean where he learned Epicurean philosophy which is greatly reflected in his early work but gradually grows into Stoicism.

He was an epicurean philosophy Lived in Naples and taught at his school in Naples He is mentioned in two of Virgil’s poems in the Appendix Vergiliana.

Virgil played no part in the military or in politics. Virgil’s shyness kept from talking about any ideas he had in the world of affairs. Since Virgil dedicated his life to his poetry and studies he was never ill, and never got married. As his fame grew due to his poetry, he gained friendships with important men in the Roman world. He later became a provincial.

Virgil’s earliest poems that might have survived in a collection are the ones in the Appendix Vergiliana but it is not certain that they are all genuine. His earliest work that is certain to be true is in the Eclogues, also known as Bucolics which was composed between 42 and 37 BC. His next work the Georgics was created between BC.

The Eclogues were a series of 10 short poems about rural subjects which was published in 38 BC. His eclogues were influenced by the Greek poet Theocritus. He used Homeric hexameter lines to explore pastoral themes instead of epic themes.

The poems reflected the sorrows during that time. Virgil’s next major piece of writing was the Georgics in which he spent 7 years working on. The Georgics were divided into 4 books and were insisted by Maecenas. The Georgics praised the experiences of farm life and were modeled after Hesiod’s Works and Days. The Georgics was first read to Octavian in 29 BC.

The Aeneid was his next greatest work which was foreshadowed in the 3 rd book of the Georgics. Virgil borrowed characters and narrative elements from the Homeric epics. However, the Aeneid was never finished due to his death.

Before Virgil finished the Aeneid, he decided to take a trip to Greece in 19 BC. In Greece, he met with Octavian who convinced him to go back to Italy with him. However, on the way back to Italy Virgil got a fever which grew worse during their voyage. Virgil died on September 21, 19 BC in Brundisi and was buried near Naples, Italy.

"Virgil". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., Web. 30 Nov /Virgil Wikipedia contributors. "Siro the Epicurean." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Oct Web. 30 Nov