Aeneid
Virgil’s defining epic and most influential work.
Author guide
Publius Vergilius Maro Books in Order
Publius Vergilius Maro, commonly known as Virgil or Vergil, was a Latin poet whose career spanned the late Roman Republic and the rise of Augustus. His canonical authored corpus consists of three major works: the pastoral Eclogues, the didactic Georgics, and the unfinished epic Aeneid, published posthumously. Poems traditionally collected in the Appendix Vergiliana are generally regarded by modern scholarship as spurious or of uncertain authorship and are excluded here.
pastoral poetrydidactic poetryepic poetry
Catalog record updated .
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Eclogues
The earliest of his three canonical works and a concise introduction to his pastoral style.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Poetry (3)
Frequently asked questions about Publius Vergilius Maro
Who was Virgil, and when did he live?
Virgil was the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, usually dated to 70–19 BCE. He came from northern Italy near Mantua and became one of Rome’s most celebrated poets.
What was Virgil’s literary career like?
Virgil’s career moved from pastoral and didactic poetry toward an ambitious epic. He was still revising that epic when he died in 19 BCE, leaving it unfinished.
Which writers influenced Virgil?
Virgil adapted major Greek literary models: Theocritus shaped his pastoral program, while Callimachus was an important influence on its poetic method. His epic also engaged deeply with Homer’s poems.
Sources: cambridge.org (opens in a new tab)dante.princeton.edu (opens in a new tab)
How did politics shape Virgil’s career?
Virgil lived through Rome’s civil wars and the rise of Augustus. His association with Maecenas and Augustus placed his work within the cultural world of the new regime, although scholars caution against reducing it to simple propaganda.
What is Virgil’s legacy in world literature?
Virgil became a foundational model for later writers, especially Dante. Dante made him a guide in the Divine Comedy, and Princeton scholars describe Virgil’s influence on Dante’s poem as essential.