ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

12 Real Locations from Aeneas' Journey in Virgil's Aeneid

cultural-heritage · 2026-08-16

TheCollector has released a guide featuring 12 actual locations mentioned in Virgil's Aeneid, written between 30 and 19 BC during the rule of Augustus. This epic narrates the voyage of Trojan prince Aeneas from Troy to Italy, showcasing real sites such as Troy (Hisarlik, Türkiye), Thrace, Delos, Crete, Strophades, Buthrotum (Butrint, Albania), Sicily, Carthage (Tunis, Tunisia), Cumae, the Tiber River mouth (Lazio), Pallanteum (Palatine Hill, Rome), and Lavinium (Lazio). Each location is accompanied by excerpts from the Aeneid and detailed descriptions. Key highlights include the archaeological layers of Troy, the Temple of Apollo in Delos, Butrint's UNESCO designation, Cumae's Antro della Sibilla, and Bronze Age artifacts from Lavinium, along with references to mythological events like the Harpies' prophecy and Dido's doomed romance.

Key facts

  • Virgil composed the Aeneid between approximately 30 and 19 BC.
  • The Aeneid follows Aeneas from Troy to Italy.
  • Troy is identified with Hisarlik in Türkiye, with Troy VIIa destroyed by fire around 1180 BC.
  • Delos is an uninhabited archaeological site with the Temple of Apollo and Terrace of the Lions.
  • Butrint in Albania is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Carthage is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • The Sibyl's cave at Cumae is a trapezoidal tunnel of Etruscan origin.
  • Lavinium has revealed 13 altars and Bronze Age artifacts.
  • The Harpies' prophecy was fulfilled when the Trojans ate their tables at the Tiber mouth.
  • The Palatine Hill is identified as Pallanteum, the site of Rome's mythical birthplace.

Entities

Artists

  • Virgil
  • Homer
  • Heinrich Schliemann
  • Claude Lorrain
  • Nathaniel Dance-Holland

Institutions

  • TheCollector
  • UNESCO
  • Tate Museum
  • National Trust
  • Harvard University Press

Locations

  • Troy
  • Hisarlik
  • Türkiye
  • Thrace
  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
  • Greece
  • Turkey
  • Delos
  • Cyclades
  • Crete
  • Strophades
  • Ionian Sea
  • Buthrotum
  • Butrint
  • Albania
  • Sicily
  • Italy
  • Carthage
  • Tunis
  • Tunisia
  • Cumae
  • Campania
  • Naples
  • Tiber Mouth
  • Lazio
  • Fiumicino
  • Ostia Antica
  • Pallanteum
  • Palatine Hill
  • Rome
  • Lavinium
  • Castel Gandolfo
  • Alba Longa
  • Mount Etna
  • Strait of Messina
  • Aegean Sea
  • Mount Ida
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Peloponnese
  • Elysian Fields
  • Tyrrhenian Sea
  • Roman Forum
  • Capitoline

Sources