Tiberius Claudius Donatus

Tiberius Claudius Donatus was a Roman Latin grammarian of the late 4th and early 5th century AD[1] of whom a single work is known, the Interpretationes Vergilianae, a commentary on Virgil's Aeneid.

[2] His work, rediscovered in 1438, proved popular in the early modern age; 55 editions of this book were printed between 1488 and 1599.

[3] In his commentary, Donatus claims that the Aeneid is a work of rhetoric with the intention of praising Aeneas, stating that it is best explained by rhetors, not grammarians; therefore, he sticks to a strict literal analysis of the text.

Donatus also maintains that Virgil was not a philosopher but rather a teacher, and that the best way to read the Aeneid is with an understanding of its universal scope.

Donatus had a son by the name of Tiberius Claudius Maximus Donatianus, to whom he dedicated his Interpretationes.