Ovid, The Poet Exiled for a Song and an Error

Thought to have been born on this day in 43 B.C., Ovid (aka Naso 'nose') was a prolific Roman poet, best known for his Metamorphoses (a collection of stories from mythology) and love poetry. Ovid counted among his friends the poet Horace and the family of the emperor Augustus.

As a result of some scandal, perhaps involving the women of the imperial family, which Ovid refers to as carmen et error 'a song/poem and a mistake,' Augustus banished Ovid to Tomi, near the Black Sea. [Nl on the small map on the right, bottom.] Ovid dearly loved the cosmopolitan life that he had enjoyed at the center of the Roman world. The banishment would have been torturous enough if Ovid could have looked forward to a recall date, but the exile or relegation was permanent.

Read more about Ovid.

Also see Roman Authors -- By Century.

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