Publius Ovidius Naso, 43 v. Chr., 17 oder 18 n. Chr., röm. Dichter; begann mit erot. Dichtungen (»Amores«, »Heroides«, »Ars amatoria«), fand in seinen röm. Reifejahren zur Sagendichtung (»Metamorphosen«, etwa 250 Verwandlungssagen; »Fasti«, Festkalender mit Gründungssagen, unvollendet) u. verfaßte in der Einsamkeit seiner Verbannung in Tomis Elegien.
(Publius Ovidius Naso) (43 BC-AD 17) Latin poet. His poetry deals mainly with the themes of love (Amores 20 BC, Ars amatoria/The Art of Love 1 BC), mythology (Metamorphoses AD 2), and exile (Tristia AD 9–12).
Born at Sulmo, Ovid studied rhetoric in Rome in preparation for a legal career, but soon turned to literature. In 8 BC he was banished by Augustus to Tomi, on the Black Sea, where he died.
Sophisticated, ironical, and self-pitying, his work was highly influential during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.