The Aenid by Virgil (19 BCE)

Before Rome had emperors, it had a prophecy — and a hero fated to fulfill it. In this episode, we sail alongside Aeneas, the Trojan warrior destined to found a new empire after Troy's fall. Through storms, monsters, love, and loss, Virgil's Aeneid transforms ancient myth into a national epic — part adventure, part political origin story. We'll explore how Aeneas's duty to fate clashes with his human desires, especially in his tragic love for Dido. Written under Augustus, The Aeneid isn't just Rome's origin tale — it's a meditation on destiny, sacrifice, and the cost of greatness. It's the story of how nations — and people — are born from the ruins of what came before.