OVID
Publius Ovidius Naso (43 B.C. - 18/7 A.D.)
Ovidius-"sheep herder" Naso-"large nose"
Born in Sulmo, possibly imaginary mistress Corinna, Augustus
banished him to Tomis on the Black Sea at the age of 51 in 8
A.D., never returns to Rome.
Major works:
Before Banishment
Amores - 3 books of 49 short poems about Corinna
Heroides - series of imaginary letters from wives or
girlfriends of absent mythological heroes
(e.g. Penelope to Odysseus, Phaedra to Hippolytus,
Oenone to paris, etc.)
Ars amatoria - "Art of Love" 3 books, teach men to
seduce women, offended Augustus, caused banishment
Remedium amoris - an apology for the Ars amatoria
Medicina faciei - "Face Lotions" (Medicines of face)
Metamorphoses - 15 books, written in dactylic
hexameter, famous mythological transformation,
last is the deification of Julius Caesar
Fasti - poetical calendar of religious festivals in
elegiac verse, 6 books, unfinished
After Banishment
Tristia - 5 books, elegiac letters complaining about
exile, asks for forgiveness in "carmen et error"
but is rejected
Epistlae ex Ponto - "Epistles form Pontus" catalogue of
poets in Augustan age, letters written during his
exile, some of them are complaints
Halieuticon - treatise on fishing in Black Sea
Ibis - a curse against some enemy at Rome
Medea - tragedy written by Ovid but lost
All of Ovid's works except Metamorphoses written in elegiac
couplets which is written:
One line of dactylic hexameter
One line of dactylic pentameter
LIVY AND OTHERS
Titus Livius (59 B.C.-17 A.D.)
Born in Patavium (Padua), very nationalistic and patriotic
Ab Urbe Condita (A.U.C.) - "From the founding of the city," became method of determing date (year from Rome's founding), 754 - BC year, 753 + AD year, total
of 142 books, only 35 extant remain.
Pompeius Trogus - wrote first universal history in Latin in
44 books, but all lost, also wrote about zoology and botany.
Annaeus Seneca (55 B.C.-39 A.D.)
Born at Cordova, two works of rhetoric: Controversiae - 5
books survive, Suasoriae - one book left.
Vitruvius - wrote De architectura "About architecture", 10
books.
Gaius Velleius Paterculus - wrote a 2 book history under
Tiberius, provides the only continuous account for which we
have no Livy.
Valerius Maximus - wrote 9 Books of Memorable Deeds and
Sayings under Tiberius.
Quintus Curtius - History of Alexander the Great.
Pomponius Mela - wrote earliest extant Latin work on
geography, De chorographia.
Aulus Cornelius Celsus - wrote about medicine under
Tiberius, De medicina.
Lucius Junius Columella - wrote about agriculture, De re
rustica.
Marcus Manilius - wrote about astronomy in 5 books,
Astronomica.
SENECA, LUCAN, AND OTHERS
Lucius Annaeus Seneca Minor (4 B.C.-65 A.D.)
Seneca the Younger, uncle of Lucan, born in Cordova, Spain,
banished to Corsica for an alleged adultery with Julia
Livilla (Caligula's sister), recalled 8 years later in 49
A.D. by Agrippina the Younger to serve as tutor/adviser to
Domitius (Nero), died for the same reason a Lucan (Pisonian
conspiracy), his wife Paulina was saved though, wrote 20
books of correspondence.
Major works:
Consolatio - written and sent to mother Helvia during
exile
Apocolocyntosis - "Pumpkinification" satire on earlier
emperors' deifications, especially Claudius
Quaetiones Natuales - "Natural Questions" 7 books on
physics
Quaestiones Morales - "Moral Questions" 12 dialogues on
moral precept, composed on death-bed
De Clementia - 3 books on clemency
Tragedies - some of the more famous ones
1. "Hercules Furens" - based on Euripides, about
his killing of his family
2. "Trojan Women" - on their various sufferings
3. "Phaedon" - the Hippolytus/Phaedon situation
4. "Medea" - sympathizes with Jason
Octavia - only surviving tragedy
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (39 A.D.-65 A.D.)
Lucan, the nephew of Seneca the Younger, born at Cordova,
teacher of Cornutus who was a Stoic, joined the Pisonian
conspiracy and forced to commit suicide.
Major work:
Pharsalia - "Civil War" 10 books, details the civil war
between Caesar and Pompey
Valerius Flaccus - wrote the Argonautica, story of Jason and
the Golden Fleece, unfinished
Apollonius of Rhodes also wrote about Jason
Silius Italicus - starved himself to death, wrote the
longest poem in Latin about the Second Punic War, Punica
(17 books; 12,200 verses), considered the worst poem in
Latin.
Publius Papinius Statius - born in Naples c. 40 or 45 A.D.
Major works:
Thebais - struggle between Oedipus' sons Polynices and
Eteocles
Achilleid - Achilles' story
Silvae - 32 poems in 5 books
Types of poems:
1. epithalamion - marriage song
2. propempticon - farewell
3. genethliacon - birthday poem
4. epicedion - eulogy
5. eucharisticon - thanksgiving or compliments
6. ecphrasis - descriptive piece
7. soteria - felicitation or recovery from illness
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SATIRE
Aulus Persius Flaccus (34 A.D.-62 A.D.)
Died at age 28 of a stomach ailment, teacher was Cornutus
(Stoic), wrote 6 satires in dactylic hexameter.
Decimus Junius Juvenalis (Juvenal)
Born in Aquinum in about 50 A.D., very poor, banished for
making fun of an actor named Paris, wrote a total of 16
satires.
Marcus Valerius Martialis (Martial)
Born in Bilbilis, Spain about 40 A.D., very poor, friends
with Pliny the Younger.
Major works:
Liber spectaculorum - commemorates the opening of the
Colosseum by Titus in 80 A.D.
Xenia - mottoes for gifts sent at Saturnalia
Apophoreta - mottoes for gifts to be taken home from
the holiday parties
Epigrams - 12 books
Gaius Petronius Arbiter - was the "arbiter elegantiae"
(critic of elegance) of Nero, framed by Tigellinus
(praetorian prefect of Nero) and killed himself.
Major work:
Satyricon - first Latin novel; 3 major characters are
Encolpius, Ascyltus, and Giton; only remaining
part is the "Cena Trimalchionis" "Dinner of
Trimalchio" (Trimalchio is very rich)
Phaedrus or Phaeder - known as the "freedman of Augustus"
wrote animal fables.
Six centuries before Christ was born, a Greek named Aesop
also wrote animal fables.
Two facts about satire:
1. Always in dactylic hexameter
2. Satire was invented by the Romans
An epigram is a short poem with a sting in its tail.
LEARNING AND LETTERS
Gaius Plinius Secundus (23 A.D.-79 A.D.)
Pliny the Elder, born at Comum (Como), admiral of the fleet
at Misenum when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, smothered to death by
the ashes (studying eruption), death was reported by his
nephew, Pliny the Younger, in a letter to Tacitus.
Major works:
Art of using a javelin on horseback - lost
The life of Pomponius Secundus - 2 books, he was the
teacher of Pliny the Elder, lost
The history of the wars in Germany - 20 books, lost
The students - 3 books, about oratory, lost
Linguistic Queries - 8 books, lost
A Continuation - continuation of Aufidius Bassus'
history, lost
Natural History - 37 books, only work that has
survived, encyclopedia of the natural sciences
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (62 A.D.-about 112 A.D.)
Pliny the Younger, born at Comum, brought up and adopted by
his uncle, Pliny the Elder; Quintilian was his rhetoric
teacher, letters were written with a view to publication.
Major works:
Panegyric on Trajan - flattery about Trajan
Letters - 9 books to various friends
A book of letters of correspondence with Trajan when he
was governor of Bithynia, important letter asks
Emperor about how he should treat Christians and
what to do about rise of Christianity
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (Quintilian)
Born at Calagurris in Spain about 35 or 40 A.D., was
appointed by Vespasian as first salaried professor of
rhetoric at Rome, an orator is defined as "vir bonus,
dicendi peritus" (a good man, skilled in speaking).
Major work:
Institutio oratoria - "Education of the Orator"
considered as paramount authority on rhetoric,
pupil as infant and goes through retirement
Sextus Julius Frontinus - water commissioner under Nerva and
Trajan.
Major works:
Strategemata - 4 books of military science
De aquis urbis Romae - 2 books about aqueducts in Rome
TACITUS AND SUETONIUS
Cornelius Tacitus (about 55 A.D.-117 A.D.)
Born in Narbonensis, Gallia, praenomen is either Publius or
Gaius, in good favor with the Flavian emperors, married the
daughter of Agricola, governor in Britain.
Major works:
Agricola - biography of Tacitus' father-in-law,
Agricola, who was governor of Britain until
recalled by Domitian
Dialogue on oratory
Germania - about the origin, geography, institutions,
and tribes of the Germans
Annals - 18 books of history covering from Augustus'
death in 14 A.D. to Nero's death in 68 A.D.
Histories - 12 books of history from 69 A.D. to death
of Domitian in 96 A.D.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (69 A.D.-140 A.D.)
Born in northern Africa, friends with Pliny the Younger,
Hadrian's official secretary until he was dismissed for
insulting the Empress Sabina, later withdrew and completed
his work, first Roman to compose a set of biographies of
imperial personages.
Major works:
De viris illustribus - "About famous men" biographies
about various famous literary men
De vita Caesarum - "About the lives of the Caesars" (The 12 Caesars)
De Grammaticis
De Rhetoribus
THE AGE OF HADRIAN
Marcus Cornelius Fronto
Born in Roman colony of Cirta (now Constantine), his works
were found in Vatican and Ambrosian palimpsests, friends and
was the tutor of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, 5 of his
6 daughters died in infancy, he died around 166 A.D.
Major works:
Letters corresponding with Marcus Aurelius and Lucius
Verus in Latin and Greek
Speech attacking Christianity delivered in the Senate
Arion - borrowed from Herodotus
Aulus Gellius
Major work:
Atticae noctes - "Attic Nights" 20 books, is a random
collection of odd facts and tidbits, mostly on
literature, but also on other subjects too
Apuleius
Born around 124 A.D. in Madaura, initiated into the
mysteries of Isis and Osiris, became the most honored and
popular literary figure in Carthage (had a statue erected in
his honor).
Major works:
Apology - Apuleius was accused of using magic to win
over his rich wife Pudentilla as well as murdering
his stepson and friend Pontianus, this speech was
written to discredit these charges (he was
acquitted)
Florida - an anthology (a collection of ) of choice
excerpts on a variety of subjects
De Platone et eius dogmate - book on Plato and his
theories of the soul and world
Metamorphoses (a.k.a. The Golden Ass) - possibly
published anonymously, is the story of Lucius, who
is turned into an ass and must eat roses to regain
human form, within this story is the story of
Cupid and Psyche
THE LATE EMPIRE
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.)
Born as Marcus Annius Verus, was taught by Cornelius Fronto
and Atticus, Hadrian changed his name to Verissumus
(truest), became emperor in 161 A.D., was the last of the
"Good Emperors", father of Commodus.
Major work:
Meditations - 12 books of uplifting Stoic philosophy
and commentaries on morality and the "good life"
Ammianus Marcellinus
Born 325 A.D. in Syrian Antioch, is pretty truthful in his
writings but is scornful of the lower class.
Major work:
Res gestae a fine Corneli Taciti - is a continuation of
Tacitus' works (Histories) in 31 books, cover from Nerva (96
A.D. to the disastrous defeat of Valens by the Goths At
Adrianople in 378 A.D.
Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (St. Jerome) (347-419 A.D.)
Born in Stridon, Dalmatia, one of the first people to be
designated a Doctor of the Church.
Major Works:
Liver of the Hermits
The Book of Illustrious Men
Letters - records religious and social ferments of his
day
Vulgate - Latin translation of the Old Testament
Aurelius Augustinus (St. Augustine) (354-430 A.D.)
Born in Tagaste, Numidia, influenced by Cicero's Hortensius
to study philosophy, had illegitimate son Adeodatus.
Major works:
Confessions - like a bibliography
Civitas Dei - "City of God" at attempt to restore faith
during a time of doubt
Maintained by Jonathan