Virgil

The most famous poet of the August century Virgil is considered one of the geniuses of the pre-Christian era. There is little information about his biography, despite the variety of sources, many of them contradict each other. Although the Mantuan swan (this nickname was given to Virgil by his contemporaries) was a pagan poet, quotations and references to his work are often found in Christian books, and images of the poet, although without a halo, are included in iconostasis. The full name of the poet is Publius Virgil Maro. He was born in 70 BC in Northern Italy, in the village of Andes, in the family of a wealthy landowner. Father sent the young man to study in Cremona. After receiving his education, the future literary figure lived in Milan, went to Naples to visit the poet Parthenius and take lessons from the Greek language and literature, and in 47 he moved to the capital to study politics. He studied the ancient poems, the works of Ennius and Lucretia, the history of old cities. Later, these works inspired him to create the famous Aeneid. In 29 BC Virgil decided to visit Greece to rest and work on the Aeneid, but Octavian, who met the poet in Athens, convinced him to return to his homeland as soon as possible. Journey badly affected the health of the poet. As soon as he stepped on his native shore, he became seriously ill. Soon, high fever caused death. The Aeneid was by then almost ready, but Virgil did not have time to put it in order finally. His friends Varius and Tucca persuaded to save the manuscript and promised to bring it in order.