History
Rome, founded in 753 BCE, has a rich history involving conquest, defeat, prosperity, and hardships. For the Latin III-IV Poetry Exam, you will need to know prominent figures of the Augustan Age and Empire
Prominent Figures of the Augustan Age and Empire
Maecenas
Gaius Maecenas (70-80 BCE) was a counsellor (friend and advisor) to Augustus. Maecenas took pride in his Etruscan lineage, and was known for his luxurious lifestyle. He used his wealth to be a large patron of the famous poets Vergil and Horace.
Vergil
Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 BCE) was a Roman poet best known for his epic, The Aeneid. He was extremely skilled and is regarded as one of the best poets in history. Vergil was born a peasant, and his affection for Italian landscapes greatly influenced his works. Written on his grave was: Mantua me genuit, Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc Parthenope. Cecini pascua, rura, duces which means: Mantua bore me, the Calabrians snatched me away, now Naples holds me. I sang of pastures, countrysides, leaders.
Horace
Horace was an excellent Roman lyric poet who lived from 65 BCE to 8 BCE. He was also a satirist. Some common themes found in his writing (particularly Odes and Epistles) are: the art of poetry, love, philosophy, and friendship.
Hadrian
Publius Aelius Hadrianus was a Roman Emperor who was born in 76 BCE and died in 138 BCE. Hadrian supported the Greek governmental system, and emulated it by consolidating/unifying Rome. He was the third of the Five Good Emperors.
Constantine
Constantine was a Roman Emperor from 306 CE to 337 CE. He was the son of a Roman officer in the army. He was successful in his civil wars against Maxentius and Licinius. He reconstructed a civil and military authority, and introduced a new coin: the solidus. Constantine was the first Christian Emperor of Rome, and he helped shift Rome into a Christian state. He issues laws that protected the Christians in the Roman Empire, and on his death bed converted to Christianity himself. At first, Constantine watched as others ruled the Eastern Empire while he ruled the Western Empire. A few years after Licinius became the Eastern emperor, Constantine fought him for power and won, establishing the city of Constantinople on the site of Byzantium. Once he was the sole Roman empire, he established at the Council of Nicaea that Jesus was a divine being. In addition, he also made reforms such as reorganization of the army, which later helped him in battles against tribes.
