Augustus and the Art of Poetry: Ovid, Virgil, and the Augustan Age

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Augustus shaped — and was shaped by — the greatest flowering of Latin literature Rome ever saw. They trace Virgil's Aeneid from its commission to its status as Rome's national epic, unpack the dark genius of Ovid's Metamorphoses, and follow Ovid's scandalous exile to Tomis on the Black Sea. Along the way they meet the poet Horace, whose odes celebrated the new regime, and the historian Livy, who gave Rome a usable past. How did Augustus turn writers into instruments of soft power? And what happened when a poet crossed him? With close readings of the Aeneid's opening lines and Ovid's Tristia, the conversation reveals a princeps who understood that controlling the story was as vital as commanding the legions. From the Palatine library to the frozen shores of exile, this episode unpacks the complicated dance between power and poetry. A must for anyone interested in Augustan culture, the birth of the Roman Empire, or the eternal tension between art and authority. #Augustus #Ovid #Virgil #Aeneid #Metamorphoses #Horace #Livy #RomanLiterature #AugustanAge #Exile #Tristia #PalatineLibrary #Tomis #RomanHistory #AncientRome #Poetry #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo