A Brief History of Publius Ovidius Naso (AKA Ovid)

Here is a snapshot of the great poet Ovid, who devoted his life to the art of poetry. Many of his works were preserved and are a rich addition to the corpus of surviving Roman literature.

Publius Ovidius Naso, better known simply as Ovid, was born in Sulmo in 43 BC. Coincidentally, this was the year Octavian rose to singular power and was then known as Augustus. Since Ovid came from a wealthy family, he was educated in the traditional fashion. Even from a young age, his gift with words was very apparent. After concluding his education with a tour of Greek lands, he returned to Rome. He held some minor judicial offices, but soon left the world of politics to dedicate his life to the pursuit of poetry.

He wrote the Amores, some love poetry. He later wrote a second edition which was divided into three parts: Heroides, Ars Amatoria, and Remedia Amoris. This collection is thought to have been completed around AD 2.

From AD 1 and onward, Ovid’s focus was mainly on the Metamorphoses, a poem written in the style of epic poetry, which is a collection of mainly mythological tales that all morph from one into the next. He also focused his efforts on the Fausti, which was an extensive elegiac poem about the numerous festivals celebrated as part of Roman religion.

By AD 8, the other great poets like Horace and Virgil had died, leaving him as the greatest poet in Rome. However, he was mysteriously banished by Augustus for what Ovid refers to as Carmen et Error (a poem and a mistake). The reason for his banishment remains unknown. He was sent to Tomis by the Black Sea, and there wrote Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto. Both of these works argued his case and appealed to public opinion. Though he never states the reason for his banishment in them, he gives a bold defense of himself. He also wrote a poem, Ibis, which seemed to be written simply to prove he was still the greatest poet in all of Rome.

Ovid lived the rest of his life in Tomis. He was never brought back out of banishment, but

continued writing poetry until the end of his life in AD 17.

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