Maecenas

Gaius Cilnius Maecenas was a political advisor to the first Roman emperor Augustus Caesar and a patron of the [art|arts]] who supplied money to poets such as Virgil who wrote the Aeneid. He lived from 70 BCE to 8 BCE. The name Maecenas has become synonymous with generous patronage of the arts. While Maecenas wrote both poetry and prose himself, he was more successful at spotting literary talent and encouraging it.