Britannica Sources used in this answer

When did Virgil write the Aeneid?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ancient Roman mosaic showing the poet Virgil seated and writing, flanked by the muses Clio and Melpomene, displayed in a decorative border. — Virgil Virgil (centre) holding a scroll with a quotation from the *Aeneid* and flanked by the muses Clio and Melpomene, mosaic, early 3rd century ce; in the Bardo National Museum, Tunis, Tunisia.

Virgil composed his epic masterpiece, the Aeneid, between approximately 29 and 19 BCE.1

The work occupied the poet for 11 years, but it remained unfinished at the time of his death in 19 BCE. Virgil had intended to spend an additional three years revising the poem before he passed away in Brundisium. Although legend suggests he wished for the manuscript to be burned, the emperor Augustus intervened to ensure its preservation.23