The Latin epic poem The Aeneid, which was written between 29 and 19 BC by Virgil, narrates the narrative of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the collapse of Troy and made his way to Italy, where he eventually settled and became the progenitor of the Romans. It has 9,896 dactylic hexameter lines. The poem's second half describes the Trojans' eventually successful fight against the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be absorbed. The wanderings of Aeneas from Troy to Italy are detailed in the first six of the poem's twelve books. Greco-Roman myth and legend were already familiar with the hero Aeneas because he appeared in the Iliad. The Aeneid was transformed by Virgil from the disjointed tales of Aeneas' wanderings, his hazy connection to the founding of Rome, and his description as a personage of no fixed characteristics other than scrupulous pietas into a compelling founding myth or national epic that connected Rome to the Troyan legends, explained the Punic Wars, exalted traditional Roman virtues, and validated the Julio-Claudian dynasty. One of the best pieces of Latin literature and largely recognized as Virgil's masterpiece is The Aeneid.
An ancient Roman poet of the Augustan era, Publius Vergilius Maro (traditional dates: 15 October 70-21 September 19 BC), who is popular with his pen name ''Virgil or Vergil.'' He wrote the epic Aeneid, the Eclogues (or Bucolics), and the Georgics, three of the most well-known poetry in Latin literature. Ancient writers gave him credit for a few small poems that are included in the Appendix Vergiliana, but contemporary researchers doubt his claim to these pieces' authorship. Western literature has been greatly influenced by Virgil's works, particularly Dante's Divine Comedy, in which Virgil serves as the author's guide through Hell and Purgatory. Traditional rankings of Rome's best poets include Virgil. His Aeneid is regarded as the national epic of ancient Rome, a designation it has retained ever since it was written. Virgil joined the group of Maecenas, Octavian's able agent d'affaires, sometime after the Eclogues' publication in 1603. Maecenas worked to challenge Antony's support among the powerful families by enlisting the support of prominent Roman authors. In addition to Horace, whose poetry frequently references him, Virgil also got to meet Varius Rufus, who later assisted in the completion of the Aeneid.
