Virgil

About Virgil

Virgil (70–19 BCE) remains one of the most historically significant writers of the ancient world, primarily recognized for authoring the *Aeneid*, the epic poem that chronicled the mythical journey of Aeneas from the fall of Troy to the founding of Rome. This foundational work of Latin literature cemented his reputation, securing his status as a central figure in classical Western culture and placing him at #196 on MIT's Historical Popularity Index among approximately 15,000 figures.

Despite this high historical ranking, Virgil's modern internet attention appears muted in comparison to some contemporaries and even other writers. He garnered an annualized total of 615K Wikipedia views in 2025, resulting in an Attention Gap of approximately 1x, suggesting his online presence is closely aligned with his importance. However, a more striking contrast exists when comparing him to other writers: George R. R. Martin (#711 importance) secured 1.7M views, more than double Virgil's traffic. Similarly, Rumi (#286 importance) pulled in 1.1M views.

Virgil's digital footprint is also showing signs of decline, with his 2025 annualized views down by a concerning -23.5% year-over-year. Furthermore, his 2025 momentum, comparing Q1 to Q3 traffic, dropped by -32%, indicating a significant recent dip in immediate online interest for the poet of the Roman founding myth.