When was Ovid exiled from Rome to Tomis?
Ovid was exiled in the year 8 AD. The decree came without any Senate vote or judicial trial and was an exclusive intervention by Emperor Augustus.
Questions about Exile of Ovid
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What were the reasons for Ovid's exile according to his own writings?
Ovid stated that the cause of his exile was carmen et error, meaning a poem and an error. He identified the poem as the Ars Amatoria written seven years before his banishment.
Where is the town of Tomis located today?
Tomis is now known as Constanța in Romania. It lies on the Black Sea coast under the loose authority of Thrace during the time of Ovid.
Which major works did Ovid produce during his exile period?
During exile Ovid produced three major works: Ibis, Tristia, and Epistulae ex Ponto. The five books of Tristia were dated between 9 AD and 12 AD while the first three books of Epistulae ex Ponto appeared in 13 AD.
Who argued that Ovid never actually left Rome for exile?
J. J. Hartman argued early in the 20th century that all references to banishment were imaginative fiction rather than historical fact. A.D. Fitton Brown expanded this argument in 1985 by noting no historian mentioned the event until the beginning of the fifth century except for doubtful passages.