Lucilius, Gaius (c. 180–c. 102 BC)

Roman satirical poet, associated with the literary circle of Scipio Aemilianus (184–129 BC). He first established the literary form of satire, later perfected by Horace and Juvenal. He wrote 30 books of miscellaneous verse (saturae), of which only 1,300 lines survive, and established the hexameter as the metre for satire. His targets included corrupt society, grammatical and literary style, and philosophy.