Selections from Virgil Aeneid XII

This is a new intermediate-student edition of a selection from Aeneid, Book XII. Lines 1-106 and 614-952 are included as Latin text with an accompanying commentary and vocabulary. Focusing on a deliberately concise extract from the original, this edition is designed to be manageable for students reading the text for the first time while also perfectly encapsulating the interest of the longer work and inspiring further study of it. A detailed introduction explains points of historical and stylistic interest.

Aeneid XII is the final book of Virgil's Roman epic. The war fought between Aeneas' refugee Trojans and the people of Latium here reaches a bloody, moving climax. This selection contains two scenes of rich emotion focused on the Italian war-leader Turnus as he reacts to military defeat and crisis, followed by the full narrative of the decisive single combat between Turnus and Aeneas with which the poem concludes. This is one of the great passages in Latin literature - grand in content and style, complex and challenging in its subject matter.

James Burbidge is Head of Classics at Tonbridge School, UK. He was previously a Lecturer in Latin and Greek at the University of Oxford. He has published articles on Latin poetry, especially Virgil.