37- 68 - Nero was a Roman Emperor who is widely regarded to have been inconsequential in his rule. It is said that Nero "fiddled while Rome burned." This statement may indicate that Nero had a propensity for good spirit and lack of leadership. Nero was deposed after a Spanish Revolt …

4 BCE- 65 CE - Seneca was a politician and aristocrat who was educated in the philosophy of Stoicism. He was Nero's tutor and assisted in governing in the first five years of Nero's rule. Later Seneca began to withdraw from politics, however he could not extricate himself completely. In 65 …

59 BCE- 17 CE - Livy was an important Roman historian. His crowning work, History of Rome, encompassed 142 books and chronicled the history of the city from its inception to 9 BCE. Livy was originally from northern Italy, but came to reside in Rome for his later life. It is …

43 BCE- 18 CE - Ovid is said to be the last of the great poets of the Roman golden age. Ovid's work takes a carefree approach to traditional Roman values, and often lampooned them. His famous works include Amores, a series of love poems, Metamorphoses, and The Art of Love …

94- 55 BCE - Lucretius was a philosopher poet who based his work on traditional Greek styles of philosophical poetry. Lucretius was noted for his work, On the Nature of the Universe, which was said to have contributed to a revival of Epicurial thought in Rome between 60 and 40 BCE …

87- 54 BCE - Catullus is known as one of the best "lyric poets" ever produced by Rome, however Catullus was not originally from Rome. Catullus originally came from northern Italy, though he spent much of his life in Rome. Catullus was known for his adaptations and augmentations to Greek poetry …