Dido

In Greek and Roman mythology, Dido ( DY-doh; Classical Latin: [ˈdiːdoː]; Ancient Greek: Διδώ [diːdɔ̌ː]), also known as Elissa ( il-ISS-ə; Greek: Ἔλισσα), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage. In most accounts, she was originally the joint ruler of Tyre who fled tyranny to found her own city in northwest Africa, now modern-day Tunisia. As she is only known from ancient Greek and Roman sources, all of which were written well after Carthage's founding, her historicity remains uncertain. Details about Dido's character, life, and role in the founding of Carthage are best known from Virgil's epic poem, the Aeneid, published around 19 BC. The poem tells the legendary story of the Trojan hero Aeneas. In the poem, Dido is described as a clever and enterprising woman who founded Carthage after fleeing her tyrannical brother. The city prospers under her leadership until Aeneas arrives and the pair fall in love through Juno and Venus' divine intervention. When Aeneas eventually has to leave Carthage, the love-sick Dido commits suicide upon a pyre. Dido has been an enduring figure in Western culture, literature, and art from the early Renaissance into the 21st century.