One of the blueprints for imperialism has always been The Aeneid, by the Roman poet Virgil, working between 29 and 19 BC. It tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan leader on the run with his son ...

Augustus Caesar, the newly minted Emperor, full of crusading zeal, embarked on a bit of a re-brand, and the Aeneid was Virgil’s way of supporting Augustus Caesar’s aims. “You’ve never had ...