Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro (Classical Latin: [ˈpuːbliʊs wɛrˈɡɪliʊs ˈmaroː]; traditional dates 15 October 70 BC – 21 September 19 BC),^[2] usually called Virgil or Vergil (/ˈvɜːrdʒɪl/ VUR-jil) in English, was a poet in the Latin language. His poems are about gods and their mythology. Virgil's most famous epic poem is called the Aeneid.

Mosaic portrait of Virgil, 3rd-century AD.^[1]

Life

Tradition is that Virgil was born in the village of Andes, near Mantua in Cisalpine Gaul.^[3][4] Scholars looking at the way he used words think that he may have Etruscan, Umbrian or even a Celtic background. Study of his name has led to beliefs that his family may have been earlier Roman settlers. These modern beliefs are not supported by evidence from his own writings or from writers of his biographies. Some scholars have noted that his nickname, MARO, is an anagram of the two main themes in the Aeneid: AMOR (love) and ROMA (Rome).

References

1. Ziolkowski, Jan M. (2008). The Virgilian tradition. Yale University.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
2. Jones, Peter (2011). Reading Virgil: Aeneid I and II. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1, 4. ISBN 978-0521768665. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
3. The epitaph on his tomb in Posilipo near Naples was Mantua me genuit; Calabri rapuere; tenet nunc Parthenope. Cecini pascua, rura, duces ("Mantua gave birth to me, the Calabrians took me, now Naples holds me; I sang of pastures [the Eclogues], country [the Georgics] and leaders [the Aeneid]").
4. "Map of Cisalpine Gaul". Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2009-06-01.