High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Publius Papinius Statius (ca. 45, Naples – ca. 96 AD, Naples) was a Roman poet of the 1st century CE (Silver Age of Latin literature). Besides his poetry in Latin, which include an epic poem, the Thebaid, a collection of occasional poetry, the Silvae, and the unfinished epic, the Achilleid, he is best known for his appearance as a major character in the Purgatory section of Dante`s epic poem The Divine Comedy.