Page 2

Publius Vergilius Maro was born on the 15th October in 70 BC near Mantua.
Nothing definite is known about his family background but popular tradition says
that his family was poor.

After initial education in Northern Italy Virgil moved to Rome. He then settled in the
Naples area, where he studies and composed until his death.

Virgil never married. He probably suffered land confiscation in 42BC but soon
became acquainted with Maecanas, a close friend of Octavian (later the emperor
Augustus).

His first work, Eclogues, was published in approximately 38BC. It was a single
book which consisted of ten, short, pastoral poems. Virgil's next work, Georgics,
took him seven or eight years to complete. He was able to recite the finished
version to Octavian in 29BC. Georgics was considerably longer than Eclogues � it
consisted of four books on the subject of farming.

By this time Virgil was extremely famous and his Eclogues were adapted to music
for the public stage. On his rare visits to Rome, Virgil was often mobbed by his
fans.

From 29 BC to his death in 19 BC, Virgil composed his greatest work, the Aeneid.
The Aeneid is an epic poem in twelve books of hexameter verse. It was loosely
based on the work of the Greek poet Homer. The first six books of the Aeneid
correspond to the Odyssey and the second six to the Iliad.

When Virgil died, on the 21st September 19 BC, the Aeneid had not been
completed. Rather than leave an imperfect work behind him, Virgil ordered it to be
burned. However, the Emperor Augustus did not allow this to happen and, after
Virgil's death, entrusted its publication to Varius and Tucca.