Skip to main content

Primary sourceBookAD 8–11

Tristia

Ovid · AD 8–11

Poems written by Ovid in exile after Augustus banished him, offering a rare personal, dissenting voice on the emperor's power.

Ovid's exile poems, written after Augustus banished him, give a rare personal dissent against his power.

Ask Augustus about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Front cover of a dark red bound book with several library labels: a handwritten octagonal paper label reading '768m t 1893 bk.3', a white UC-NRLF barcode label, a white call number label 'PA 6519 T8 A35 1893 MAIN', and a yellow label 'YB 55380'.
Ovid, Tristia, 19th-century printed edition.

About this source

What it is

The Tristia is a collection of elegiac poems written by the poet Ovid during the years following his banishment from Rome by Augustus, around AD 8–11. The poems were written during his journey into exile and the years after, addressed to his wife, friends and, in one long poem, to Augustus himself, pleading for his return.

Why it matters

The exact reason for Ovid's banishment is uncertain, but the poems show the personal cost of offending the emperor and give a rare dissenting, sorrowful voice from someone who suffered directly under Augustus's authority over literature and morals. Ovid's plea to Augustus went unanswered, and he died in exile.

Look closer

  • Why might Ovid be careful about what he says directly against Augustus, even while describing his suffering?
  • What does his plea for forgiveness reveal about the emperor's power over even famous writers?
  • How does this source differ from the praise-filled poetry Augustus commissioned, like the Carmen saeculare?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Augustus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Augustus sources

Meet the AI Augustus →
Black-and-white photograph of a large weathered marble inscription in Latin capital letters, arranged in horizontal lines across several panels, with a large white area where stone is missing on the left side.Document

Primary source

Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Augustus · 14 AD

Line engraving of a curly-haired man in profile wearing a draped Roman cloak, one hand resting on a globe and the other holding a scroll, inside an ornate border. Title reads 'D. Oct. Augustus' with a text block below.Painting

Secondary source

Emperor Augustus with Globe

After Titian (engraving by A. Sadeler, after Titian) · between 1700 and 1799 (possibly 17th century)

Photograph of a marble sculpted head on a white background. It has short, wavy hair carved in curling locks, large almond-shaped eyes with heavy lids, a straight nose, and a small closed mouth. The neck is broken off at the bottom.Sculpture

Primary source

Relief Head of the Young Augustus

Marble statue of a standing man in armor, right arm raised pointing forward, with a draped cloak over his left arm. A small cupid-like figure with a dolphin stands beside his right leg. Plain dark grey background.Sculpture

Secondary source

Augustus of Prima Porta

c. 19 BCE or later

Marble enclosure of the Ara Pacis in a glass-walled museum hall, seen from the southwest. Carved relief panels decorate the walls, with a doorway and a stepped approach at the front.Artifact

Primary source

Ara Pacis

13-9 BCE

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Augustus now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions