---
title: Horace
author: Donald L. Wasson
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Horace/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2023-06-15
---
# Horace
_Authored by [Donald L. Wasson](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/DWasson/)_
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65-8 BCE), better known to most modern readers as Horace, was one of [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/)'s best-loved poets and, along with his fellow poet [Virgil](https://www.worldhistory.org/virgil/), a member of Emperor [Augustus](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/)' inner circle at the imperial [palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/). Despite his early allegiance to one of [Julius Caesar](https://www.worldhistory.org/Julius_Caesar/)'s assassins during the early dark days of the civil [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/), Horace eventually became a close friend to the emperor and supported his attempts at moral reform, believing it brought new life to a suffering [empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/), a new golden age.
### Early Life
Horace was born on December 8, 65 BCE, in the town of Venusia in Apulia, a region in southeastern [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/), bordering the Adriatic Sea. As an adult, he was described by the [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) historian [Suetonius](https://www.worldhistory.org/Suetonius/) as being short and fat. His father was a freedman and small landowner in Venusia, working part-time as a public auctioneer or co-actor; historians disagree on whether or not he had ever been a slave. Suetonius added that his father may have been a 'dealer in salted provisions.' Obviously, Horace's father was capable enough to send the young poet to Rome and [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/) (where he studied [literature](https://www.worldhistory.org/literature/) and [philosophy](https://www.worldhistory.org/philosophy/)) to complete his education.
It was while Horace was in Athens that he joined the army of [Caesar](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/caesar/)'s assassin [Marcus Junius Brutus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Marcus_Junius_Brutus/) as a *tribunus militum or military commander (a post normally held by a member of the equestrian class) against the heir apparent [Octavian](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/) (the future Augustus). The assassin's forces eventually lost at the [Battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) of [Philippi](https://www.worldhistory.org/Philippi/) in 42 BCE, and this defeat left the impressionable Horace and many others with a bitter taste for [warfare](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/). Unfortunately, his support of Brutus cost him his family's property.
Despite having supported Caesar's assassin, Horace returned to Rome where he was fortunate to procure a position in government as a *scriba quaestorius,* an accountant or cashier, working under a *[quaestor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Quaestor/)* in the imperial treasury. Some question whether or not he actually held the position having opposed Augustus at Philippi, nevertheless, Suetonius claimed he was pardoned and purchased the position. It was at this time that Horace wrote his first series of poems, something that brought him into contact with both Virgil, the author of the *[Aeneid](https://www.worldhistory.org/The_Aeneid/)*, and the poet Varius Rufus, the author of *De Morte,* a poem intended to comfort men and not to fear [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/). Rufus was a devout follower of the philosopher [Epicurus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Epicurus/) and his school 'The Garden.' Horace was drawn to the Epicurean philosophy and its principle that pleasure was the only good. According to historian M. Beard, both Virgil and Horace represented 'memorable and eloquent images' of the new 'golden age' of Rome. In the words of historian N. Rodgers, Virgil, Horace, and the banished poet Ovid created a classical style that many believed was comparable to that of the ancient Greeks.
### protégé of Maecenas
Luckily for Horace, Virgil and Rufus introduced him to a man who would have a profound effect on his life, Gaius Maecenas. Maecenas was a wealthy Roman and patron of the arts who gathered around him a circle of young poets. He was not only an author himself but a personal friend and advisor to Augustus, and through him, Horace would meet the emperor. The young poet soon became a favorite of Maecenas, eventually giving him an estate in the Sabine Hills near Rome at Tivoli. It was a place where Horace, having become financially secure, would eventually build a villa.
In keeping with the Epicurean philosophy, Horace's poems demonstrated a joy for life and a love of nature. Published around 30 BCE when he was around 35 years old, the *Epodes* or *Iambi* were 17 elegiac poems, many of which were written before he met Maecenas. The poems alluded to Octavian's victory at the [Battle of Actium](https://www.worldhistory.org/Battle_of_Actium/) and his defeat of both [Mark Antony](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mark_Antony/) and the [Egyptian](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Egyptian/) queen [Cleopatra](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/cleopatra/). The poems not only speak of politics but also of love and his admiration for the rural way of life. N. Rodgers quoted him as saying, "Happy the man who far from business ploughs again his ancestral lands" (385).
[  Odes, Poem 14 Tubantia (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6661/odes-poem-14/ "Odes, Poem 14")The *Epodes* were soon followed by the two books of the *Satires*, also called the *Sermones* or 'Conversations.' Besides a criticism of the vice that was rampant in Rome, he wrote of a journey he took with Maecenas to [Brundisium](https://www.worldhistory.org/Brundisium/) and the resettlement of the civil war veterans. Some view the poems as autobiographical, containing poems as tributes to Maecenas and Horace's father.
### Poetry & Philosophy
Although poorly received, Horace's next work was the three books and 88 poems of the *Odes*. These lyrical poems celebrated Rome in the age of Augustus. After their publication, the emperor would encourage the poet to write a fourth book of 15 poems. Horace said the poems were hymns to the gods and modeled after the great [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) authors, among them Alcaeus, [Sappho](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sappho_of_Lesbos/), and [Pindar](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pindar/). Horace always had a deep respect and admiration of the Greeks and believed Rome had to recognize the Greek superiority in all intellectual and cultural fields. In these poems he again praised Augustus for his victory at Actium and for bringing peace to a troubled people, restoring the lost customs and morality of the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/)'s past.
However, there were those who considered Horace to have a romantic side. Although a life-long bachelor, he seemed to respect commitment. This is evident in *Poem 13* in *Odes Book 1*:
> Three times blessed and more are they
> who are united with an unbroken bond;
> no wretched quarrels shall ever separate
> our love before the final days of life.
> (Branyon, 29)
Although he wrote earlier in his *Satires*: "Love has two evils, war and then peace" (Branyon, 109).
In his next two books, the *Epistles*, Horace turned away from poetry momentarily and turned to a philosophic reflection, [writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/) on the right way of life. Published around 21 BCE, the first book was a series of letters written to a variety of individuals, telling of the circumstances of his own life and offering counsel. In the second book, *Ars Poetica*, Horace wrote on the art of writing poetry. About his own difficulty in the writing of poetry, he wrote, "Struggling to be brief, I become obscure" (*Ars Poetica*, Line 25) He also penned two letters, one to Augustus and one to his fellow Roman poet Publius Annius Florus.
### Later years
Over the years the emperor and Horace had become very close; the emperor called Horace his 'little charmer.' In 17 BCE Augustus asked him to write a secular hymn commemorating the 800th anniversary of Rome's founding. Augustus also asked him to join his staff to help draft correspondence, but the poet declined. On this request, Suetonius wrote that due to poor health and demanding workload, the emperor appealed to Maecenas to let Horace come to the palace to 'help him write his letters.' On November 27, 8 BCE Horace died, two months after his life-long friend Maecenas, and was buried near his [tomb](https://www.worldhistory.org/tomb/). Despite legislation enacted by the emperor against bachelorhood, Horace never married, and so, according to Suetonius, Augustus was named as heir of his estate.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Beard, M. *SPQR.* Liveright, 2015.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1631492225/)
- [Branyon, R. A. *Treasury of Roman Love& Proverbs.* Hippocrene Books, 1994.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0781803098/)
- [Everitt, A. *Augustus.* Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0812970586/)
- [Hornblower, S. *The Oxford Classical Dictionary.* Oxford University Press, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199545561/)
- [Potter, D. *The Emperors of Rome the Story of Imperial Rome From Julius Caesar to the Last Emperor..* Metro Books, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/B0084WNDI2/)
- [Rodgers, N. *Roman Empire.* Metro Books, 2008.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1435104552/)
- Suetonius. *The Life of Horace.*
## About the Author
Donald has taught Ancient, Medieval and U.S. History at Lincoln College (Normal, Illinois)and has always been and will always be a student of history, ever since learning about Alexander the Great. He is eager to pass knowledge on to his students.
## Timeline
- **65 BCE - 8 BCE**: Life of [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) poet, Quintus Horatius Flaccus, better known as [Horace](https://www.worldhistory.org/Horace/).
## Cite This Work
### APA
Wasson, D. L. (2017, May 18). Horace. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Wasson, Donald L.. "Horace." *World History Encyclopedia*, May 18, 2017. .
### MLA
Wasson, Donald L.. "Horace." *World History Encyclopedia*, 18 May 2017, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Donald L. Wasson](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/DWasson/ "User Page: Donald L. Wasson"), published on 18 May 2017. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.