Virgil

We all obviously know that Virgil wrote the Aeneid, but he also wrote other major works of poetry in the Eclogues and the Georgics. In Latin class we even read some of the Georgics, and I found some of the backstory pretty interesting. Virgil's patron was Maecenas, a fan of literature and a good friend to the Emperor Augustus. Rome had been in turmoil since the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Finally Augustus was able to take control of the thrown and bring peace throughout the Roman Empire. Since there was no fighting many of the soldiers didn't have anything to fight for. Augustus then asked Maecenas to ask Virgil to write the Georgics to promote the honor and importance of farming and the rural lifestyle. Through the Georgics, Virigil praises farming and the gods of the harvest. Some historians believe Virigl even tells the story of how Maecenas began to sponsor Virgil in the Georgics. The Georgics are broken up into four sections. Each section discusses a different problem of farming, but Virgil still manages to keep the readers engaged and promote the farming as a patriotic and worthy occupation. While Virgil's Aeneid is certainly great, I believe that sometimes it can overshadow the greatness of his other works like the Eclogues or the Georgics.