What is Statius?
'''Publius Papinius Statius''' ({{circa}} 45 – 96 [[Anno Domini|A.D.]]) was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[poet]] born in [[Naples, Italy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crystalinks.com/statius.html |title=Statius |author= |website= |publisher=Crystalinks |accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> Published in 92 A.D., his major [[epic poetry|epic]] was called ''[[Thebaid (Latin poem)|Thebaid]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://people.virginia.edu/~jdk3t/epicintrog/lives.htm |title=A Brief Life History of Each of the Epic Poets |author= |website= |publisher=University of Virginia |accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> It has the same theme as the [[Seven Against Thebes]], a [[Play (theatre)|play]] by [[Aeschylus]], the fight of seven city states against [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]. He also wrote poems for different occasions. These poems are known as ''[[Silvae]]'' today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theoi.com/Text/StatiusAchilleid1A.html |title=Statius, Achilleid 1 |author= |website= |publisher=Theoi Classical Texts Library |accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> They show what the life at the court of [[Domitian]] was like. Even though he is not well-known today, he was better known during his time. He also appears in ''[[The Divine Comedy]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/purgatorio/purgatorio-21/ |title=Purgatorio 21 |author=Dante Alighieri, Baroliniano |website=Digital Dante, Commentary & Context |publisher=Columbia University |accessdate=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219050118/http://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/purgatorio/purgatorio-21/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> == References == {{reflist}} {{bio-stub}} [[Category:40s births]] [[Category:96 deaths]] [[Category:Writers from Naples]] [[Category:Ancient Roman poets]] [[Category:1st-century writers]]