Low Ham Roman Villa large 14 foot (4.3m) square mosaic from the floor of the "frigidarium" depicts the story of Aeneas and Dido, as told in the 1st century BC by the Roman poet, Virgil. Like the villa, it dates to the mid-4th century. The Low Ham mosaic is unique in Roman Britain in providing a narrative story in five panels. First is a scene of Aeneas sailing to Carthage, with Achates lifting from a ship the crown described as a gift to Dido in "Aeneid" Book I. The next shows Aeneas meeting Dido, with his son Ascanius and his mother Venus. There follow
Parallels between Virgil's Aeneid and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey his twin brother Remus with the she-wolf that cared for the twins, and Augustus' victory at the Battle of Actium. The first half of the "Aeneid" mimics the journey of Odysseus in several ways. Though the "Odyssey" takes course over the span of 24 books while the "Aeneid" replicates the happenings in the "Odyssey" in 6 books, there are several comparisons to make. Odysseus and Aeneas are both royalty, Odysseus being the king of Ithaca and Aeneas a Trojan prince. Without the help of divine intervention though, neither hero would have met his destiny, though there were opposing gods who