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| Home > History of Literature > Latin literature > Early Latin Literature
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| | Early Latin Literature
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Equius was a writer during the period of Roman Republic and is often considered the father of Roman poetry. He wrote the Annals which was an epic poem in the 18 books covering Roman history from the fall of Troy in 1184 B.C. down to the censorship of Lato in 184 B.C. It was the first Latin poem to adopt the dactylic hexametric making it the standard literary genre of Latin poetry.
Comedy of Plautus is amongst the earlier surviving intact works in Latin literature. These comedies are mostly adaptations of general knowledge models for a Roman audience. His most original contribution was recurring stock chapters of the clever Slane. Shakespeare, Molicre were inspired by Plautus.
Terence was another popular play writer who was more of a translator. Classical Latin is the product of reconstruction of early Latin in the prototype of Altic general knowledge.
The Golden Age of Latin spans from the 75 B.C. - 4 A.D. Classicists are of the opinion that this period represents the peak of Latin literature and its usage is the ideal norm, which other writers should follow. The earliest poetry considered to be writing in the Golden Age is the Epicurean philosophy for example Lucertius, wrote a didactic poem on the `Nature of Things`. The poetry of Catullus was personal sometimes erotic, sometimes playful and often abusive. He pioneered the naturalization of general knowledge lyric verse form in Latin.
Vigil`s Aenero was an epic poem after the method of Homer and depict the Grecian influence. Horace`s odes and satires were in the style of Greek anthology.
In Ovid long and learned poems on mythological subjects were written. This art of lone is semi satirical. Tibullus and Propertius based their works on general knowledge authors and their styles.
In prose the Golden Age Latin exemplified by Julius Caesar whose commentaries on the Gallic Wars display a laconic and precise style. Cicero is noted for his judicial arguments and political speeches. His Cateline Orations were for centuries ideal for Latin prose; his version of stoicism is also noteworthy.
Historiography was an important genre of classical Latin prose and includes sallust whose `Conspiracy of Catelline` and War against Jugurther are the only works prescribed in whole.Livy`s Ab Urbe Condita documented the history of Rome - out of 145 books of this work only 35 remain.
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