Quintus Horace Flaccus (65-8 BC) is rightfully considered one of the three (along with Virgil and Ovid) great poets of the “golden age” of ancient Roman literature. He was the son of a freed slave; in his youth he participated in the Civil War, and lost his family and home. Thanks to the patronage of the nobleman Maecenas, who appreciated his talent, and then the emperor Augustus, Horace became famous, influencing both his contemporaries and the wordsmiths of future eras. Not only his poems were an example to follow, but also his personal qualities - modesty, moderation, indifference to wealth and honors. Historian Mikhail Bondarenko piece by piece reconstructs the biography of Horace, painting it against the broad background of life in Rome during the formation of the empire.