ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the main developments in Greek and Latin literature between 800 bce and 450 ce. It opens with a discussion of Virgil’s Aeneid as a quintessential classical text, whose story connects Asia Minor (Troy), Northern Africa (Carthage) and Southern Europe (Rome), regions that were all part of the cultural heartland of “Europe” at the time. It subsequently discusses the main developments in ancient literature, including the emergence of prose next to poetry, the slow transition from orally delivered poetry to literature that was intended to be read, the steady increase in the number of genres, and the establishment of Latin literature next to Greek. It also defines classical literature as comprising more than drama, narrative, and lyric texts, noting that it extends to historiography, philosophy and even scientific prose, which was meant to please readers as well as to instruct them.
