Ennius (Author of Remains of Old Latin, Volume I)

Enniusâ€™s Followers (18)

Ennius

Born

in Calabria, Italy

April 05, 0239

Died

June 22, 0169

Website

Genre

Poetry

Influences

Homer ...more

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Quintus Ennius (/ËˆkwÉªntÉ™s ËˆÉ›niÉ™s/; c. 239 BCE â€� c. 169 BCE) was a writer during the period of the Roman Republic, and is often considered the father of Roman poetry. He was of Calabrian descent. Although only fragments of his works survive, his influence in Latin literature was significant, particularly in his use of Greek literary models.

Ennius was born at Rudiae, an old Italian (predominantly Oscan) town historically founded by the Messapians. Here Oscan, Greek, and Latin languages were in contact with one another; according to Aulus Gellius 17.17.1, Ennius referred to this heritage by saying he had "three hearts" (Quintus Ennius tria corda habere sese dicebat, quod loqui Graece et Osce et Latine sciret).

Ennius continued the nascent liter Quintus Ennius (/ËˆkwÉªntÉ™s ËˆÉ›niÉ™s/; c. 239 BCE â€� c. 169 BCE) was a writer during the period of the Roman Republic, and is often considered the father of Roman poetry. He was of Calabrian descent. Although only fragments of his works survive, his influence in Latin literature was significant, particularly in his use of Greek literary models.

Ennius was born at Rudiae, an old Italian (predominantly Oscan) town historically founded by the Messapians. Here Oscan, Greek, and Latin languages were in contact with one another; according to Aulus Gellius 17.17.1, Ennius referred to this heritage by saying he had "three hearts" (Quintus Ennius tria corda habere sese dicebat, quod loqui Graece et Osce et Latine sciret).

Ennius continued the nascent literary tradition by writing praetextae, tragedies, and palliatae, as well as his most famous work, a historic epic called the Annales. Other minor works include the Epicharmus, the Euhemerus, the Hedyphagetica, and Saturae.

The Epicharmus presented an account of the gods and the physical operations of the universe. In it, the poet dreamed he had been transported after death to some place of heavenly enlightenment.

The Euhemerus presented a theological doctrine of a vastly different type in a mock-simple prose style modelled on the Greek of Euhemerus of Messene and several other theological writers. According to this doctrine, the gods of Olympus were not supernatural powers still actively intervening in the affairs of men, but great generals, statesmen and inventors of olden times commemorated after death in extraordinary ways.

The Hedyphagetica took much of its substance from the gastronomical epic of Archestratus of Gela. The eleven extant hexameters have prosodical features avoided in the more serious Annales.

The remains of six books of Saturae show a considerable variety of metres. There are signs that Ennius varied the metre sometimes even within a composition. A frequent theme was the social life of Ennius himself and his upper-class Roman friends and their intellectual conversation.

The Annales was an epic poem in fifteen books, later expanded to eighteen, covering Roman history from the fall of Troy in 1184 BCE down to the censorship of Cato the Elder in 184 BCE. It was the first Latin poem to adopt the dactylic hexameter metre used in Greek epic and didactic poetry, leading it to become the standard metre for these genres in Latin poetry. The Annals became a school text for Roman schoolchildren, eventually supplanted by Virgil's Aeneid. About 600 lines survive. A copy of the work is among the Latin rolls of the Herculaneum library.

Ennius was said to have considered himself a reincarnation of Homer.

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Enniusâ€™s books

Average rating: 4.18 · 40 ratings · 8 reviews · 26 distinct works

	Remains of Old Latin, Volume I: Ennius, Caecilius by Ennius, Caecilius, E.H. Warmington (Translator) 4.06 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 1935 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fragmentary Republican Latin, Volume I: Testimonia, Epic Fragments by Ennius, Sander M. Goldberg (Translator), Gesine Manuwald (Translator) 4.11 avg rating — 9 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Tragedies of Ennius: The Fragments (Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, Series Number 10) by Ennius (Editor), H.D. Jocelyn 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Annals of Quintus Ennius 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published -172 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Collected Fragments of Ennius by Ennius, E.H. Warmington (Translator) 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fragmentary Republican Latin, Volume II: Dramatic Fragments, Minor Works by Ennius, Sander M. Goldberg (Translator), Gesine Manuwald (Translator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Annalium Libb. 18 Fragmenta 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2010 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ennianae Poesis Reliquiae (Classic Reprint) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2015 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Quinti Ennii ... ReliquiÃ¦ QuÃ¦ Extant Omnes, ConquisitÃ¦ Ã€ J. A. Giles 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Q. Ennii Medea: Commentario Perpetuo Illustrata Cum Spicilegio Eorum Quae In Q. E. Fragmentorum Collectionibus Desiderantur : Accedit Disputatio De Origine Atque Indole Veteris Tragoediae Apud Romanos 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Ennius (?)

“The victor is not victorious if the vanquished does not consider himself so.”
― Ennius

48 likes

“Amicu certus in re incerta cernitur'

[A true friend is a friend when in difficulty]”
― Quintus Ennius

tags: friendship, inspirational, reliability

13 likes

“He who conquers is not the victor unless the loser considers himself beaten (qui vincit non est victor nisi victus fatebur).”
― Ennius

6 likes

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Enniusâ€™s Followers (18)

Ennius

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