Why Refugees Matter: Nationhood and Adaptation in The Aeneid Anonymous College

During the reign of Augustus Caesar, wartime conquests led to large expansions of the Roman Empire. With the addition of new territories as a result of each successful military campaign, the Roman people came to strengthen the longstanding militaristic values that were ingrained in their society. These militaristic values can trace their origins back to the beginnings of the empire that are told in The Aeneid. The continual gaining and claiming of territory by the Roman army led to a large influx of new people who were outsiders living in the empire and becoming a part of the Roman citizenry. Romans had a long history of outsiders coming to live in their land because their founders, the Trojans, were outsiders themselves due to being refugees. The Trojans challenged the perceived weakness of refugees due to their loss of home and identity. Instead, they exhibit an unexpected strength through the ability to adapt to their new home country. Virgil’s celebration of the Roman populace’s humble beginnings as lost and waylaid Trojans in his work, The Aeneid, positively influenced how Romans viewed refugees during the height of Imperial Rome.

The devotion that Aeneas has for the refugees he travels with and his determination to find a...