The actor resurfaced to recite the poem The Boxer by Gabriele Tinti in Rome. It includes the lines: "The more you're wounded the greater you are. And the more empty you are. They used me for their ...

Historians are skeptical that this has a basis in fact, but it was useful propaganda for Augustus Caesar, who established himself as Rome’s first emperor while Virgil was writing his poem.

His rural upbringing influenced all his poetry, especially his earlier work, like the “Eclogues”. As he was growing up, Rome was in crisis, with power-hungry nobles fighting between themselves.

Ovid’s playful poetry made him a favorite among Rome’s elite, but angered Emperor Augustus. Just as he was producing his finest work, Ovid (43 BC – 17 AD) was exiled to the darkest corner of ...