![]() ![]() ![]() In the twentieth book of the Iliad, which was probably composed around 700 BC, Aeneas is saved by Poseidon from being slain by Achilles. Large parts of Aeneas’ story had been current well before Virgil had even been born. The latter six books deal with Aeneas’ struggles in Italy, his confrontation with Turnus, and are clearly modelled after the Iliad. The first six books of the Aeneid are clearly inspired by the Odyssey, as they detail Aeneas’ wanderings through the Mediterranean. The poem itself is consciously modelled after the two Homeric epics that preceded it. The hand of the author is also clearly visible in the overall structure of the work. Likewise, the conflict between Dido and Aeneas was used to explain why the later Carthaginians and Romans were at odds with each other. ![]() The part where Aeneas descends into the underworld and is shown a vision of his descendants’ future greatness, is a clear example of Virgil adapting the story to celebrate the achievements of Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Certainly, some elements were his own invention. When the Roman poet Virgil (70 BC–19 BC) composed his epic poem about Aeneas, he did not come up with the entire story himself. This article was originally published on the defunct Ancient World Magazine website and is now re-published here. ![]()
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