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The Aeneid is an epic tale of the journey of Aeneas, survivor of Troy's fall, and his journey to found the Roman peoples. The story is one you should read yourself and like the Greek Illiad and Oddessy (from which Virgil borrows heavily-as any Roman writer would have done at the time- 19 BCE). It is a story full of gods and goddesses, war, lust and anger. One of the great classic stories. It is one everyone should take a moment and read at least once. I highly recommend reading it in the original Latin as the phrases translate better than in modern translations..case in point is the elegance of the original Latin in the phrase "..tantaene animis caelestibus irae?" ("Can such great anger dwell in heavenly breasts?").

I shall leave all the ins and outs of the story for English majors and Classics scholars to dissect. My thing is history and the historical background for Virgil is quite interesting.

Virgil was a friend of Maecenas, a close advisor to Octavian Caesar. Octavian, not yet Augustus, had decided after the period of civil conflicts of the past several decades to aim for peace throughout the Empire. Octavian tightened laws on Roman morality and one of the ways he did this was to co-opt the writers and poets of the day. Virgil's Aeneas is the perfect ROman. He is a devoted son, great warrior and faithful to the gods. Take a close look at the basic character of Aeneas (patriotism, filial devotion, parental love, conformity to the will of heaven, and a scrupulousness in carrying out the honors due the gods)- they are precisely the same virtues Caesar was preaching. That is why Aeneas is the epitome of the Roman ideal. He never loses his self-control, never blasphemes, is never unjust, deceitful or careless in the performance of any of his obligations. There is no flaw in his character; he is never guilty of sin and although a great warrior, he prefers peace.

Not to mention throughout the story the gods and other peoples often remark on the future potential for the peoples of the Tiber river-a clear nod to stroking the egos of the Romans about their own creation myths. It is a truly magnificent work -not just as a work of storytelling, but in the subtle influence it spread throughout the Empire. Like Homer's great work- this one is Virgil's magnum opus (taking over a decade to write) and should be read by all well rounded people everywhere.