Lucretius

Lucretius wrote De Rerum Natura, a didactic poem explaining atomism, mortality, the nature of the soul, sensation and the rejection of superstition. The work combines philosophical argument with some of the most forceful poetry in Latin.

For the site, Lucretius belongs in Classical for pages on Roman philosophy, Epicureanism, poetry and late Republican intellectual life. His work is useful where ancient texts address religion, fear, materialism and the natural world.