Ennius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ennius
Double herm with the portrait of the Roman poets Virgil or Ennius
Born	Quintus Ennius c. 239 BC Rudiae, Roman Republic
Died	c. 169 BC
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	Roman
Genre	Epic poetry

Quintus Ennius (around 239 BC – around 169 BC) was an important writer and poet in the Roman Republic. Many people call him the "father of Roman poetry." He was born in Rudiae, a small town near what is now Lecce in Italy. Ennius could speak three languages: Oscan, Latin, and Greek. Even though only small parts of his writings still exist, he greatly influenced Latin literature. He was especially known for using ideas from Greek writing.

About Ennius's Life

We don't know much for sure about Ennius's life. People who lived at the same time as him didn't write much about him. Many stories about him might have come from hints in his own writings, which are now mostly lost.

For example, some parts of his long poem, the Annales, suggest that Ennius started his epic by telling about a dream. In this dream, the famous Greek poet Homer told him that Homer's spirit had been reborn into Ennius. This idea, called the transmigration of souls (where a soul moves from one body to another), was popular in parts of Italy settled by Greeks. However, this story might have just been a creative way for Ennius to start his poem.

Ennius liked to make big claims. He even said he was related to Messapus, a legendary king from his home area. His hometown, Rudiae, was in the land of the Messapians. Ennius also said that because of his background, he had "three hearts"—meaning he understood Greek, Oscan, and Latin cultures.

Ennius in Rome

Ennius's public life really began when he was older. He served as a centurion (a military officer) in the army during the Second Punic War. In 204 BC, while he was in Sardinia, he met Cato the Elder. Cato was impressed by Ennius and brought him to Rome.

In Rome, Ennius earned a living by teaching Greek and by changing Greek plays to fit Roman tastes. His poems helped him become friends with some of Rome's most important men. These friends included Scipio Africanus and Fulvius Nobilior. Ennius even went with Fulvius Nobilior on a military trip to Aetolia in 189 BC. Later, Ennius wrote a play and part of his Annales about the capture of Ambracia, which he saw happen.

Thanks to Fulvius Nobilior's son, Quintus, Ennius later became a Roman citizen. Even with his important friends, Ennius lived a simple life. He lived in the part of Rome known for writers, on the Aventine Hill, with another poet named Caecilius Statius.

His Final Years

Ennius died when he was about 70 years old, right after finishing his play Thyestes. In the last book of his epic poem, he wrote that he was 67 when he finished it. He compared himself to a brave horse that had won many races at the Olympic Games and was now tired and ready to rest.

Ennius felt proud of his life's work. He wrote some lines to be placed under his statue after he died: "Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live, as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men." This shows he believed his words would live on.

Ennius's Writings

Ennius helped Roman literature grow. He wrote plays in both Greek and Roman styles. But his most famous work was a long historical poem called the Annales. He also wrote other shorter works, such as Epicharmus, Epigrammata, Euhemerus, Hedyphagetica, Praecepta/Protrepticus, Saturae (or Satires), Scipio, and Sota.

The Annales

The Annales was an epic poem made up of fifteen books, later expanded to eighteen. It told the story of Roman history from the fall of Troy in 1184 BC all the way to 184 BC.

This poem was the first Latin poem to use the dactylic hexameter rhythm. This rhythm was common in Greek epic poems. Because Ennius used it, it became the standard rhythm for epic and teaching poems in Latin. The Annales became a textbook for Roman schoolchildren. Later, Virgil's Aeneid took its place. About 600 lines of the Annales still exist today. A copy of the work is thought to be among the Latin scrolls found in the Herculaneum library.

Other Works

Epicharmus

The Epicharmus was inspired by the ideas of the Greek philosopher Epicharmus of Kos. In this work, Ennius describes a dream where he died and went to a place of great wisdom. There, he met Epicharmus, who explained how the gods and the universe worked.

Euhemerus

The Euhemerus talked about a religious idea from the Greek writer Euhemerus. This idea, now called euhemerism, suggested that the gods of Olympus were not supernatural beings. Instead, they were great heroes from the past who were later seen as gods because of their bravery or impact on culture. Some ancient writers said Ennius translated Euhemerus's original work from Greek into Latin. This work was written in prose, like a regular book, not a poem.

Hedyphagetica

The Hedyphagetica was largely based on a Greek poem about food by Archestratus. The parts of Ennius's poem that we still have talk about where to find the best types of fish. Many of these parts are hard to read because they are damaged.

Saturae

The Saturae is a collection of about thirty lines from funny poems. This makes it the first example of Roman satire that we still have. These lines were written in different poetic rhythms. The poems in this collection often shared practical wisdom, sometimes using a fable (a short story with a moral) to make a point.

Scipio

Ennius's Scipio was a work that seemed to celebrate the life and achievements of Scipio Africanus, a famous Roman general. Very little of this work remains. Some people think it was written before the Annales, while others believe it was written after Scipio's victory in 201 BC following the Battle of Zama (202 BC).

Sota

The Sota was a poem named after the Greek poet Sotades. This work used a special rhythm created by Sotades. It covered many different topics and ideas.

Images for kids

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  Double herm with the portrait of the Roman poets Virgil or Ennius

See also

In Spanish: Ennio para niños