The Aeneid: who's who, timeline and places
Everyone in The Aeneid, what happens when, and where, without spoilers: tell us how far you have read and we show only what you already know.
- AeneasAeneas leads the Trojan survivors, encourages his companions, and receives Dido’s welcome in Carthage.First seen in book 1
- DidoDido welcomes the Trojan survivors to Carthage and falls in love with Aeneas through Cupid’s influence.First seen in book 1
- JunoJuno opposes the Trojans and persuades Aeolus to release destructive winds against their ships.First seen in book 1
- VenusVenus helps Aeneas and uses Cupid to make Dido fall in love with him.First seen in book 1
- JupiterJupiter confirms the Trojans’ destined future and sends Mercury to secure a welcome for them.First seen in book 1
- NeptuneNeptune stops the storm that threatens the Trojan ships after Juno has the winds released.First seen in book 1
- CupidCupid is the means Venus uses to make Dido fall in love with Aeneas.First seen in book 1
- AnchisesAnchises mistakenly identifies Crete as the ancestral homeland the Trojans have been told to seek.First seen in book 3
- SibylThe Sibyl warns Aeneas of Italian warfare and sets requirements for his journey into the underworld.First seen in book 6
- TurnusTurnus is among those Alecto inflames as Juno turns a proposed alliance into war.First seen in book 7
- LatinusLatinus offers Aeneas land and marriage to Lavinia after warnings that she must marry a foreigner.First seen in book 7
- LaviniaLavinia is the woman whom an oracle warns Latinus must marry to a foreigner.First seen in book 7
- PallasPallas leads the Arcadian cavalry that Aeneas gains after seeking help from Evander.First seen in book 8
- EvanderEvander welcomes Aeneas to his settlement and explains the feast honoring Hercules.First seen in book 8
- Book 1
Juno sends a storm against the Trojans, but Neptune calms the sea and seven ships reach shelter.
- Book 1
Dido welcomes the survivors to Carthage, while Venus uses Cupid to make her love Aeneas.
- Book 2
Aeneas recounts how Sinon’s deception brings the wooden horse into Troy and Greek soldiers attack at night.
- Book 2
Aeneas escapes with his father and son, loses Creusa, and leads the gathered exiles away.
- Book 3
After failed settlements in Thracia and Crete, the household gods identify Italy as the Trojans’ destination.
- Book 3
Helenus advises the travelers, who rescue an abandoned Greek before Anchises dies at Drepanum.
- Book 4
Jupiter sends Mercury to order Aeneas away from Carthage, and Aeneas secretly prepares his fleet.
- Book 4
After the Trojans depart, Dido curses Aeneas and his descendants, then kills herself with his sword.
- Book 5
Aeneas reaches Sicily and honors Anchises with funeral games, including rowing, running, boxing, and archery.
- Book 5
Iris urges Trojan women to burn the ships, but Jupiter’s rain limits the loss to four.
- Book 6
The Sibyl requires a golden branch and burial for a dead companion before Aeneas can visit his father.
- Book 6
Aeneas enters the underworld with the Sibyl and encounters unburied companions, Dido, and fallen warriors.
- Book 7
The Trojans reach the Tiber, recognize their destination, and receive Latinus’s offer of land and marriage to Lavinia.
- Book 7
Juno sends Alecto to inflame Amata, Turnus, and the countryside, turning the proposed alliance into bloodshed.
- Book 8
Following Tiber’s guidance, Aeneas seeks Evander’s help and gains Arcadian cavalry under Pallas.
- Book 8
Venus brings Aeneas armor from Vulcan, including a shield depicting achievements of descendants he cannot identify.
- Book 9
Turnus attacks the Trojan camp while Aeneas is absent, and Cybele transforms the threatened ships into sea nymphs.
- Book 9
Nisus and Euryalus leave to summon Aeneas, but enemy cavalry discover them and both die.
- Book 10
Aeneas returns with Tuscan allies and raises his shield to renew the besieged Trojans’ courage.
- Book 10
Pallas rallies his fleeing men before Turnus challenges him, kills him, and offers his body back to the Arcadians.
- Book 11
Aeneas sends Pallas’s body home to Evander and grants the Latin envoys a twelve-day truce.
- Book 11
Latinus proposes peace, but Turnus defends continued resistance before news of the Trojan advance alarms the city.
- Book 12
Turnus demands a duel, but Juturna provokes resistance to the treaty and renewed fighting leaves Aeneas wounded.
- Book 12
Venus heals Aeneas, who returns seeking Turnus while Juturna steers her brother’s chariot around the battlefield.
Hidden until you have read that far.
- CarthageCarthage is the city where Dido welcomes Aeneas and the surviving Trojans.First seen in book 1
- TroyTroy is the city Greek soldiers destroy after gaining entry through the wooden horse.First seen in book 2
- ItalyItaly is the destination the household gods identify for the wandering Trojans.First seen in book 3
- SicilySicily is where Acestes welcomes the Trojans and Aeneas holds funeral games for Anchises.First seen in book 5
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