Literature · 2
When Virgil died in 19 BCE, in what condition was his epic poem the Aeneid, which later became Rome's national epic?
Answer
Unfinished
Virgil died before he could finish revising the Aeneid and reportedly wanted the manuscript burned; Emperor Augustus instead ordered it published, and it went on to become Rome's defining national epic.
💡 Did you know?
Virgil's Aeneid was unfinished when he died, yet it became Rome's official national identity epic—Constantine later claimed Virgil predicted Christianity.
Other options people guess
- Fully completed and published
- Banned by the Roman Senate
- Rejected by Emperor Augustus
Topics
- epic-poetry
- ancient-rome
- virgil
- classical-literature
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