About
Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) was a Latin poet born in 43 BCE in Sulmo (Italy) and died in exile at Tomis (modern Constanța, Romania) around 17-18 CE. Born into an equestrian family, he studied rhetoric in Rome and philosophy in Athens before devoting himself to poetry. His major works include the Amores, Heroides, Ars Amatoria, and his masterpiece Metamorphoses, a mythological epic in fifteen books. Exiled by Emperor Augustus in 8 CE for 'a poem and a mistake', he composed the Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto during his exile. His influence on Western literature and art is immense, from Dante to Shakespeare.
Major works
- Amores (c. 16 BCE)collection of elegiac poems
- Heroides (c. 5 BCE)poetic letters
- Ars Amatoria (c. 2 CE)didactic poem
- Metamorphoses (c. 8 CE)mythological epic
- Tristia (c. 9-12 CE)collection of elegiac poems
Key milestones
- 43 BCEBorn in Sulmo (Italy) into an equestrian family.
- 8 CEExiled by Augustus to Tomis on the Black Sea.
- 17/18 CEDies in exile at Tomis.
Themes
Metamorphosis and transformationLove and eroticismClassical mythologyExile and nostalgiaPoetic art and literary play
Sources: poetryfoundation.org · britishmuseum.org