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 chief components of Latin literature and the context in which it 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 (b. ca. 285 BCE)
Gnaeus Naevius (b. ca. 270, d. after 206)
Plautus (b. 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)
Accius (170 – ca. 80)
Varro (ca. 116 – ca. 27)
Cornelius Nepos (b. c. 110 or c. 85, d. 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 (b. ca. 55 – 50 BCE, d. 19 BCE)
Propertius (b. ca. 50 – 47 BCE, d. 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 (b. ca. 17 BCE, d. 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 (d. ca. 92)
Calpurnius Siculus (Neronian era)
Silius Italicus (ca. 28 – ca. 101)
Persius (34 – 62)
Quintilian (35 – ca. 96)
Lucan (39 – 65)
Martial (ca. 40 – ca. 104)
Statius (b. ca. 45, d. after 96)
Tacitus (b. ca. 55, d. after 117)
Juvenal (b. ca. 55, d. after 127)
Pliny the Younger (61/62 – ca. 113)
Suetonius (b. ca. 70, d. after 130)