Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
Poet (43 B.C.-A.D. 17)
Of all the ancient Roman poets, Ovid had the greatest influence on Europeanliterature, paintingand sculpture. In his Latin poem “Metamorphoses”(Transformations), he recounts all the major Greek myths—a total of 250 tales.He became the prime authority on Greek mythology (and on the art of love) formedieval Europe, when knowledge of Greek was almost nonexistent. Hismythological treasure trove is replete with miraculous transformations of humansinto beasts, birds, trees, plants, rocks and even heavenly bodies. (Provided byFra Noi/Written by Peter D’Epiro) For more geniuses, go to https://www.jccia.com/genius