Curated category
1st-century BC Romans
- Lucius Varius RufusLucius Varius Rufus moved within the tightest circle of early Augustan Rome. He stood as a close friend to Virgil, who later entrusted him with a sacred task…
- Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (son of Pompey)Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus entered the world around 75 BC, born into a family that dominated Roman politics. He was the elder son of Pompey the Great and his…
- TiberiusTiberius Claudius Nero stood before the rostra in Rome on 32 BC. He was nine years old when he delivered the eulogy for his biological father.
- HoraceQuintus Horatius Flaccus arrived in the world on the 8th of December 65 BC within the town of Venusia. This settlement sat upon a trade route at the border…
- VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro entered the world on the 15th of October in 70 BC during the consulship of Pompey and Crassus. Ancient biographers place his…
- CatullusGaius Valerius Catullus was born to a leading equestrian family of Verona in Cisalpine Gaul. His father entertained Julius Caesar when the future dictator…
- LivyTitus Livius was born in Patavium, now known as Padua, during the year 59 BC. This city stood as the second wealthiest location on the Italian peninsula at…
- Gaius Cassius LonginusGaius Cassius Longinus emerged from the gens Cassia, a family that had held prominence in Rome since the 6th century BC.
- GalbaServius Sulpicius Galba arrived in the world near Terracina on the 24th of December 3 BC. He emerged from a wealthy family that held no blood ties to the…
- Gaius Julius HyginusGaius Julius Hyginus lived between 64 BC and AD 17. He began life as a slave before gaining freedom under the Roman emperor Augustus.
- Dionysius of HalicarnassusDionysius of Halicarnassus arrived in Rome after the civil wars ended, settling there during the reign of Emperor Augustus.
- GermanicusGermanicus Julius Caesar entered the world on the 24th of May 15 BC in Rome. He was born to Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor, placing him at the heart…
- Nero Claudius DrususNero Claudius Drusus entered the world between mid-March and mid-April 38 BC, three months after his mother Livia married Augustus on the 17th of January.
- Cato the YoungerMarcus Porcius Cato Uticensis was born in 95 BC, the son of a father who shared his name and Livia. His childhood ended abruptly when he and his sister…
- SallustGaius Sallustius Crispus likely entered the world in Amiternum, a town nestled within Sabine territory. Modern scholars debate whether he was born there or…
- Quintus Caecilius Metellus NumidicusQuintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus traveled to Athens in his youth. There he studied under Carneades, a celebrated philosopher and master of oratory.
- VitruviusIn 56 BC, the Roman army laid siege to Larignum. Vitruvius stands as the only surviving source for this specific battle.
- CatilineLucius Sergius Catiline emerged from the gens Sergia, an ancient patrician family claiming descent from Sergestus, a Trojan companion of Aeneas.