Viri Illustrissimi Aetatis Classicae
The Classical Age ( ca 2000 BC to 500 AD ) refers to the ancient Greek and
Roman worlds. During the Golden Age of ancient Greek, Athens became the center for arts,
education and democracy with lasting contribution. Greek literature comprizes the two
greatest epic poems (Illiad and Odyssey) of Homer (ca 900 BC), the passionate
love poems of Sappho (ca 610-530 BC), the tragedies of Aesthylus ( 525/524-456/455 BC),
Sophocles (ca 496-406 BC) and Euripides (ca 484-406 BC), as well as the comedies of
Aristophanes (ca 450-388 BC) and Menander (342-292 BC).
The Roman Republic was established
by some noblemen in 509 BC. It was during the Pax Romana (27 BC - 180 AD) the height of the
Roman Empire surfaced when arts and literature flourished. Among the classical authors,
Terence (Publius Terentius Afer, ca
195-159 BC), Plautus ( Titus Maccius, ca 254-184 BC), Cicero (Marcus Tullius, 106-43 BC),
Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro, 70-19 BC), Horace ( Quintus Horatius Flaccus, 65-8 BC), Ovid
(Publius Ovidius Naso, 43 BC- 17? AD) left exuberant literary masterpieces endowed with
unsurpassed splendor.
Why Study Greek?
