Juvenal

Note: This article is about the Roman poet, who is the most famous person by this name. For the Christian saint, see Saint Juvenal.

Related Topics:
Roman - Christian - Saint - Saint Juvenal

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Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, Anglicized as Juvenal, was a Roman satiric poet of the late 1st century and early 2nd century AD. Very little is known about his life, the ancient biographies being generally fictitious. He is known for coining the phrase "panem et circenses" ("bread and circuses") to describe the primary pursuits of the Roman populace. The rhetorical question "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?", "Who shall guard the guardians?" comes from his satire On Women.

Related Topics:
Iunius - Anglicized - Roman - Satiric - Poet - 1st century - 2nd century - Panem et circenses - Rhetorical question - On Women

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He was known to be from Aquinum, and described himself as middle-aged at the time of publication of his first satire, which was sometime in the 100s AD. The latest known date for his activity is 127. For a time he was very poor and was dependent on the rich people in Rome, and never became well known; the only known contemporary mention is in a poem addressed to him by his friend, the poet Martial.

Related Topics:
Aquinum - 100s - 127 - Martial

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His surviving work consists of 16 satires in hexameter.

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Through his satires, Juvenal portrays an anger and contempt towards his fellow contemporaries, which gives us an insight into Roman values and morality, rather than real life. His satire is frequently obscene, particularly in the satire on Women. The subjects covered by his satires also reveal much about the presence of foreigners in Rome (Satire III), the eating habits and entertainments of the rich (Satires IV and XI).

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He may have served under Gnaeus Julius Agricola, commanding a cohort of Dalmatian auxiliaries, in Britain in 78. His acquaintance with Egyptian customs suggests he may also have lived for a time in ancient Egypt, possibly in exile.

Related Topics:
Gnaeus Julius Agricola - Cohort - Dalmatian - Britain - 78 - Egypt

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