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Vergil

Vergil. The greatest poet of the Roman empire. Early Life . Vergil was born in cisalpine Gaul Cisalpine- on the side of the Alps closest to Rome. Transalpine Gaul- the side across the Alps, away from Rome. His father was a freed slave who had bought some land.

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Vergil

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  1. Vergil The greatest poet of the Roman empire

  2. Early Life • Vergil was born in cisalpine Gaul • Cisalpine- on the side of the Alps closest to Rome. • Transalpine Gaul- the side across the Alps, away from Rome. • His father was a freed slave who had bought some land. • His father kept bees, farmed some land and made pottery. • He lived a simple but well to do life.

  3. Where are the alps?

  4. School • Vergil’s father saved all his money to send his son to the best schools possible. • He was first schooled at the home. • Then he was sent away to Greece for “high school” • Learned speaking and writing. • Then went to Rome to apprentice under a lawyer but hated it.

  5. Philosophy • After Rome he moved to Naples and studied Epicurean philosophy. • The Epicureans believed: • The universe was made of Atoms. • Death was final, no after life. • The Gods didn’t care for men. • Fears and superstitions were a waste of time. • Prayer had no effect. • Their goal was to live in harmony with the universe

  6. Early Poetry • Vergil writes the Eclogues: • These were poems done in the style of songs that would be sung by shepherds. • These were a huge hit and Vergil quickly became famous.

  7. The Georgics • Vergil writes about farming not as a trade but as a way of life. • Spent 7 years writing these poems. • He catches the eye of Maecenas and Vergil becomes his patron. • Maecenas is close to Augustus and he was looking for poets who extolled the old values while reuniting old and new Rome.

  8. Vergil’s Greatest Work • The Aeneid • An epic poem about the Aeneas, the founder of Rome. • This poem sought to restore belief in the old gods, renew fading traditions and bring glory to Augustus’ divine heritage. • Vergil spent 10 years writing it and never finished. • On his death bed he demanded that the unfinished work be destroyed but Augustus forbid it. • This poem is considered to be the greatest work ever published in Latin.

  9. Sources • www.bible-history.com • Coolidge, Olivia E. Lives of Famous Romans. United States of America: Home School Publishing, 2007. Print.

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