Israel & Palestine

Sign up for our online interest course in Virgil’s Aeneid

What is this online course about?

The Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil is an epic poem in 12 books that tells the story of the foundation of Rome from the ashes of Troy. It was probably written down in Rome from 30-19 BC during the period of the Emperor Augustus.

The poem is named after the Trojan hero Aeneas, the son of Venus (Aphrodite in Greek mythology) and Anchises, a Trojan aristocrat. Aeneas leads the survivors from the sack of Troy through the Mediterranean, and ultimately to the site of (future) Rome. The Aeneid is therefore a classic foundation narrative.

As with other ancient epics, our hero has to remain resolute in the face of significant divine hostility. Juno, queen of heaven and goddess of marriage, despises the Trojans because she lost a divine beauty contest known as the Judgement of Paris. Venus wins the Judgement by giving a bribe to Paris, a Trojan prince who acts as judge. The bribe is in the form of Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris prefers this bribe to the bribes of the other two contestants – Juno and Minerva.

Study Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, taken from a previous A Level Classical Civilisation syllabus. The Iliad provides a unique insight into both Greek history and the formation of a Greek identity. The setting of the poem, the Trojan War, captured the imaginations of the Greek people and became the basis for a new history of a common people brought together by the war. This course is for anyone interested in studying the Iliad or it can also be studied alongside the current A Level Classical Civilisation course.