MARTIAL

born March 1, AD 3841, Bilbilis, Hispania died c. 103 Latin in full Marcus Valerius Martialis Roman poet who brought the Latin epigram to perfection and provided in it a picture of Roman society during the early empire that is remarkable both for its completeness and for its accurate portrayal of human foibles. Additional reading Studies and commentaries include Paul Nixon, Martial and the Modern Epigram (1927, reissued 1963), which discusses Martial's literary influence; A.G. Carrington, Aspects of Martial's Epigrams (1960), a useful general work; Peter Howell, A Commentary on Book One of the Epigrams of Martial (1980), which includes a short introduction on Martial and his work; N.M. Kay, Martial, Book XI: A Commentary (1984); and J.P. Sullivan, Martial, the Unexpected Classic: A Literary and Historical Study (1991), with a lengthy bibliography.