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43 BCE
Birth and Education
Ovid was born in Sulmo (modern Sulmona, Italy) and received an elite education in Rome, studying rhetoric and poetry. This laid the foundation for his literary career. -
Period: 20 BCE to 8 BCE
Literary Fame
Ovid gained fame with works like Amores (The Loves), Heroides (Letters of Heroines), and Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love), solidifying his reputation as a leading poet of Rome. -
8
Exile to Tomis
Emperor Augustus banished Ovid to Tomis on the Black Sea for reasons Ovid cryptically described as a carmen ("poem") and an error ("mistake"). The exile profoundly affected his later works. -
8
Publication of Metamorphoses
His magnum opus, Metamorphoses, a mythological epic of transformation, became one of the most celebrated works in Western literature. -
Period: 17 to 18
Death in Exile
Ovid died in Tomis, never allowed to return to Rome. Despite his exile, his poetry endured, influencing art and literature for centuries.