Abstract
Pietas, it is widely recognized, is the distinguishing characteristic of Vergil’s hero, Aeneas, as he struggles to lead the few surviving Trojans to a new homeland in Italy and, once he has arrived, to establish a foothold there.What Vergil means bypietas, however, has long been debated.¹ Vergil’s conception of piety was of major importance in the new Augustan ideology, but attempts to pigeonhole his piety as a Stoic virtue have not been persuasive.² Vergil’s Aeneas, while guided by the gods and obedient to their commands, ultimately bears responsibility for his actions. It has often been observed that, although Stoicism