Curated category
Characters in Book VI of the Aeneid
- Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar entered the world on 12 or the 13th of July 100 BC into a family claiming ancient divine lineage. His clan traced its roots to Julus, son…
- AugustusOn the 23rd of September in 63 BC, a boy named Gaius Octavius drew his first breath inside a family estate on Rome's Palatine Hill.
- TheseusA young man named Theseus stood before a massive stone on the road from Troezen to Athens. It was a rock with a hollow just large enough to receive objects…
- CerberusScholars have struggled for centuries to pin down the true origin of the name Cerberus. Linguist Daniel Ogden describes attempts to establish an…
- Musaeus of AthensA vase painting from around 440 BC shows Linus teaching letters to Musaeus. This image captures the legendary figure as a student, yet historical records…
- PasiphaëIn the ancient Greek pantheon, Pasiphaë stood as a daughter of Helios and Perse. Her lineage traced back to Colchis, an early Kartvelian-speaking polity…
- Lucius Junius BrutusIn 509 BC, the Roman people voted to banish King Tarquinius Superbus and establish a new system of government. Lucius Junius Brutus stood at the center of…
- IxionIxion ruled the ancient tribe of Thessaly known as the Lapiths. His lineage traces back to Perimele and either Ares, Leonteus, Antion, or Phlegyas.
- OrpheusA two-word fragment from the 6th-century BC lyric poet Ibycus offers the earliest literary reference to Orpheus. The words translate simply as 'Orpheus…
- Phaedra (mythology)In Greek mythology, Phaedra was a Cretan princess. Her name derives from the Greek word phaidros, which means bright. She stood as the daughter of King Minos…
- Numa PompiliusThe 21st of April 753 BC marked the traditional founding of Rome, and on that same day Numa Pompilius was born. He was the youngest of four sons born to…
- Marcus Furius CamillusThe name Marcus Furius Camillus appears in the Etruscan François Tomb, built near Vulci around 350 BC. One painting there shows a figure named Gneve…