A modern translation of Virgil's Aeneid, copyright 2002 by A.S.Kline. This book may be freely copied and redistributed for any non-commercial purpose. For more information, please see:

http://www.tonykline.co.uk

The Aeneid is Virgil's epic poem telling the story of the foundation of Rome by Aeneas, a Trojan who escaped from Troy following its destruction by the Greeks. It's been a "classic" ever since it was written.

Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) started work on the Aeneid shortly after Octanian's (the future emperor Augustus) defeat of the naval forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium in 31 BC, which effectively marked the end of the Roman Republic and the start of the Empire. It was written both to provide a Roman "foundation epic" on the scale of the Greek epics by Homer, the Iliad and Odyssey and also for political purposes to "legitimise" Rome's rule of the Mediterranean world and Augustus's "destiny" to be emperor due to his claimed direct descent from Aeneas, the son of the goddess Venus. Virgil worked on the Aeneid for the final 10 years of his life, leaving it substantially complete, although with some parts clearly still requiring a final "polish".

This is one of the best translations of the Aeneid I've found; far better than anything at PG and on a par with the best commercial publications.

Enjoy!