The pages linked here provide fairly brief summaries of Latin authors, including their lives, their literary output, and their impact and influence. A brief description of the eras and context of these authors is also provided.
The chief purpose of these “epitomae” (Greek: ἐπῐτομαί) is to introduce the essential proponents of Latin literature and the context in which they originated and flourished.
To get a larger sense of the overall chronology of Latin literature, you can check out the Timeline of Latin Literature page. To examine the relationships between the various Latin writers, take a look at the Latin Network Graph.
- Livius Andronicus (born ca. 285 BCE)
- Gnaeus Naevius (born ca. 270, died after 206)
- Plautus (born before 250, d. 184)
- Ennius (239 – 169)
- Cato the Elder (234 – 149)
- Caecilius Statius (d. 168)
- Pacuvius (ca. 220 – 130)
- Terence (195/194 – 159)
- Lucilius (ca. 180 – 103/102)
- L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi (born ca. 180)
- Accius (170 – ca. 80)
- Varro (ca. 116 – ca. 27)
- Cornelius Nepos (born ca. 110 or ca. 85, died after 27)
- Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 – 43)
- Julius Caesar (102 or 100 – 44)
- Quintus Tullius Cicero (100 – 43)
- Lucretius (ca. 100 – ca. 55)
- Aulus Hirtius (ca. 90 – 43)
- Sallust (86 – 35/34)
- Catullus (ca. 84 – ca. 54)
- Vitruvius (ca. 75 – ca. 10)
- Vergil (70 – 19)
- Gallus (69 – 26)
- Horace (65 – 8)
- Pompeius Trogus (b. ca. 60 BCE)
- Livy (ca. 59 BCE – 17 CE)
- Tibullus (born ca. 55 – 50 BCE, died 19 BCE)
- Propertius (born ca. 50 – 47 BCE, died after 16 BCE)
- Sulpicia and the Appendix Tibulliana (first century BCE)
- Grattius (Augustan Age)
- Ovid (43 BCE – 17/18 CE)
- Seneca the Elder (54 BCE – ca. 39 CE)
- Manilius’ Astronomica (written between 10 CE – 30)
- Curtius Rufus (early first century)
- Celsus (ca. 25 BCE – 50 CE)
- Phaedrus (ca. 20 BCE – ca. 49 CE)
- Velleius Paterculus (born ca. 17 BCE, died after 30 CE)
- Valerius Maximus (fl. ca. 31 – 32 CE)
- Seneca the Younger (ca. 1 BCE – 65)
- Columella (fl. 40 – 50 CE)
- Petronius (ca. 5 CE– 66)
- Pliny the Elder (ca. 23/24 – 79)
- Valerius Flaccus (died ca. 92)
- Calpurnius Siculus (fl. 60s)
- Silius Italicus (ca. 28 – ca. 101)
- Persius (34 – 62)
- Quintilian (35 – ca. 96)
- Lucan (39 – 65)
- Martial (ca. 40 – ca. 104)
- Statius (born ca. 45, died after 96)
- Tacitus (born ca. 55, died after 117)
- Juvenal (born ca. 55, died after 127)
- Pliny the Younger (61/62 – ca. 113)
- Suetonius (born ca. 70, died after 130)