In about 30 B.C., the Roman poet Virgil began composing the Aeneid, an epiclong poem about legendary or historical heroes, written in a grand style about the legendary hero Aeneas and the founding and destinyfuture or fate of an individual or thing of Rome. Woven from strands of myth, history, and imperialrelating to an emperor or empire pride, the Aeneid summed up everything the Romans valued most about their society. At the same time, it offered tales of adventure featuring gods and goddesses, heroes and ghosts, and warriors and doomed lovers. Virgil died before finishing the work, but it established his reputation as the foremost poet of the Romans.

Creating a Roman Heritage. The Aeneid tells the story of...