How did Ennius adapt Greek epic verse for Latin literature?

Quintus Ennius was instrumental in shaping early Latin literature by adapting the Greek epic tradition for a Roman audience. His primary contribution was the introduction and Latinization of the dactylic hexameter—the traditional metre of Homer—for his historical epic, the Annales.123

By adopting this Greek framework, Ennius moved away from the traditional Italian measures used by earlier writers like Gnaeus Naevius. In his Annales, Ennius consciously positioned himself as a successor to Homer, invoking the Greek Muses while narrating the history of Rome from the wanderings of Aeneas to his own time.214

Beyond the technical adaptation of metre, Ennius sought to elevate the language of epic poetry, matching a "nobility of language" with a "nobility of ethos". His work established a poetic mode that influenced later Roman writers, including Cicero, Lucretius, and Virgil, ultimately serving as the foundation for the Roman national epic.4231