ROMAN LITERATURE The Humble Beginnings of Roman Literature Roman Literature traversed a journey from imitating Greek Literature for relevance to finally discovering a voice of its own. Roman Literature’s foundation was established with Greek Literature translated into Latin by the learned Roman individuals. The close of the First Punic War in 240 BC marks the beginning of literary work in Rome. In 240 BC, to celebrate Rome’s victory over Carthage, the first stage play in Latin was performed in Rome. Livius Andronicus adapted and translated Greek plays into Latin for his Roman audience. Initially, the Roman authors felt less competent and intimidated than Greek writers as they considered Greece to have more refined, highly intellectual varieties of classical arts and prominent cultural pursuits. There are many recognizable features and styles of Greek art in Roman works. Even, the literary genres were adopted directly and over time, these were modified by the very styles of the authors. Roman Literature is said to had humble beginnings as Greek Literature heavily inspired it. It evolved to leave behind a legacy that lasts and has a noticeable impact on today’s world. What language did they use? Latin was the main language used for writing during Ancient Rome. Greek was also a popular language because it was used by so many people in the eastern portion of the Roman empire. What did the Romans write on? Important documents were written on papyrus scrolls (made from the papyrus plant in Egypt) or on parchment (pages made from animal skin). They wrote with a metal pin that they dipped in ink. For more temporary day-to-day writing they used a wax tablet or thin pieces of wood. Short History of Roman Literature First Period. The sixth and seventh centuries of the city of Rome (240 B.C. – 80 B.C.) This makes up the history of drama, early epos and satires, and the beginning of the prose actions. It’s marked by its adolescence of art and language. Second Period. The Golden Age, from Cicero to Ovid (80 B.C. – 14 A.D.) Has the highest improvements in prose and poetry. The prose era came first, and is marked by Cicero, Sallust, and Caesar. Third Period. Around the decline of Rome, from the accession, or rise to power, of Tiberius to the death of Marcus Aurelius (14 A.D. – 180 A.D.) Mostly made up of political writings, epochs, and religious phenomena. ROME’S NOTABLE WRITERS AND THEIR FAMOUS LITERARY WORKS Some Roman writers are very-well known and in fact these incredible writers continue to influence the way we think today. There are hundreds of Roman authors whose works have survived. Here are Rome’s Notable Writers and their famous literary works. 1. Virgil: The-Best Known Roman Poet Publius Vergilius Maro – better known as Virgil was born on October 15, BCE in Andes, near Mantua, Italy and died on September 21, 19 BCE in Brundisium, was an ancient Roman poet during the Augustan period. Of all the ancient Roman poets, he is surely the best-known and most celebrated. Virgil’s life was devoted entirely to his poetry and to studies connected with it. He played no part in military or political life. It is said that he spoke once in the lawcourts without distinction and that his shy and retiring nature caused him to give up any ideas he might have had of taking part in the world of affairs. He never married, and the first half of his life was that of a scholar and near recluse. But, as his poetry won him fame, he gradually won the friendship of many important men in the Roman world. He famously wrote the legendary poem The Aeneid, which is now considered ancient Rome’s national epic. His fame rests chiefly upon the Aeneid, which tells the story of Rome’s legendary founder and proclaims the Roman mission to civilize the world under divine guidance. The Aeneid, written by the Roman poet Virgil (70-19 BCE), is a twelve-book-long epic poem that describes the early mythology of the founding of Rome. Weaving together Greek myth with fantasy and real history, Virgil’s tale about the adventures of Aeneas as he battles his way through gods, monsters and terrifying storms on his way to found Rome is filled with swashbuckling adventure, and it went on to influence centuries of writers and artists to follow, most notably Dante’s Divine Comedy. Other famous works of Virgil are Bucolics and The Georgics. 2. Horace: Poet, Songwriter and Lyricist Horace, whose full name as Quintus Horatius Flaccus, was another ancient Roman poet whose voice has reverberated throughout history. He was born on 8 December 65 BC in the Samnite south of Italy. After his father's death, he continued his formal education in Athens, a great centre of learning in the ancient world, where he arrived at nineteen years of age, enrolling in The Academy founded by Plato. A contemporary of Virgil, Horace was recognized during his day as one of ancient Rome’s most inventive and original lyricists. Horace’s most renowned poetic work was his Odes, a series of four books featuring poems which explore a variety of themes, including love, courage, and hymns to the gods. He also wrote a series of seventeen poems called Epodes, which explore love, politics and satire, and he even wrote numerous songs with a comical slant. Horace’s light and entertaining writing style was revived during the Renaissance period by various scholars including Petrarch and Dante. The Odes were developed as a conscious imitation of the short lyric poetry of Greek originals – Pindar, Sappho and Alcaeus are some of Horace's models. His genius lay in applying these older forms to the social life of Rome in the age of Augustus. The Odes cover a range of subjects – Love, Friendship, Wine, Religion, Morality, Patriotism; poems of eulogy addressed to Augustus and his relations; and verses written on a miscellany of subjects and incidents, including the uncertainty of life, the cultivation of tranquility and contentment, and the observance of moderation or the "golden mean. In the 30s BC his 17 Epodes were also under way. Mockery here is almost fierce, the metre being that traditionally used for personal attacks and ridicule, though Horace attacks social abuses, not individuals. 3. Ovid: The Man who Inspired the Renaissance Publius Ovidius Naso, known today as Ovid, is another of ancient Rome’s finest poetic writers. Ovid was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. His most celebrated contribution to the literary arts was his Metamorphoses, a long verse poetic text which retold ancient Greek and Roman legends as one long continuous narrative sequence, over 900 lines long. Ovid's Metamorphoses explains history. It explains history from the creation of the world through the death of Julius Caesar as a series of transformations. During the Renaissance, many artists were hugely inspired by the flourishing creativity of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, including Titian, Poussin and the Pollaiuolo brothers, and his text is brought alive and immortalized through their lively works of art. Other famous works of Ovid includes the Amores (The Loves), the Heroides (Epistles of the Heroines), and the Ars amatoria (The Art of Love). 4. Lucretius: A Man of Rationalism and Reasoning Titus Lucretius Carus (died mid to late 50s BCE) was an Epicurean poet and philosopher of the late Roman republican era. He is only associated with one major body of work, a lengthy series of didactic poems titled De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things). Divided into six long books, the poem explores physics, poetics, language and metaphor, and goes into lengthy detail about the development of the world. Lucretius essentially emphasized the rational laws of nature, and argued that deities did not create the universe, although he still believed they existed. As such, his book was regarded by the critics of ancient Rome as a dangerous threat to religious belief, earning him a somewhat infamous reputation during his day. Interestingly, his book was later adopted by atheists as a form of manual, which might have disappointed Lucretius, who was a deeply religious man. https://www.thecollector.com/who-are-the-most-famous-ancient-roman-poets-top-5/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virgil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odes_(Horace)
