Epitome

Life Albius Tibullus entered the Roman literary scene under the patronage of Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus. He, like Horace and Vergil (Publish Vergilius Maro), had his lands confiscated by Augustus,…

Life Sextus Propertius was one of the four great Roman elegists in the Augustan age, the other three including Gallus, Tibullus, and Ovid. He was born no later than in…

Life Publius Ovidius Naso, known in English as Ovid, was an eminent Latin poet, especially regarded by both ancient and modern critics alike for his many elegies on love and…

Life Quintus Ennius was born in 239 BCE at Rudiae (now Rugge) in Calabria (now Apulia). Growing up in a region heavily mixed with both Greek and Italian cultures, Ennius…

Life Gaius Cornelius Gallus, son of Gnaeus Cornelius Gallus, was a Roman equestrian born in 69 BCE at the Forum Iulii (modern Fréjus) in Gallia Narbonensis. Cicero mentions him in Ad…

Life Marcus Porcius Cato, born in 234 BCE, was a prominent Roman politician during the Punic Wars, and is often referred to as Censorinus (the Censor) or Maior (the elder),…

Life Unlike most other minor authors of the period, Velleius Paterculus relates a bit about his own life.  He does not say much about his early life, but he came from…

Life No ancient author mentions a Quintus Curtius Rufus who wrote a history of Alexander the Great, but the manuscripts of Historiae Alexandri Magni name him as the author. Most scholars today, though,…

Life Marcus Annaeus Lucanus was born in Corduba (Cordova), Hispania into the very prominent Annaei family, which included his uncle, Seneca the Younger, and grandfather, Seneca the Elder. His birth was recorded as being Nov.…

Life Gaius Iulius Caesar, future dictator of Rome, conqueror of Gaul, and arguably the last ruler of the Republic, was born into an aristocratic family the Iulii at Rome on…