99-44 B.C.

Roman writer and philosopher who is remembered for his poem De rerum natura (On the nature of things). De rerum natura provides an exposition of the theories of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, a philosopher revered by Lucretius. The poem encompasses the main principles of the atomic theory, refutes the rival theories of other philosophers, applies atomic theory to the structure and mortality of the soul, condemns of superstition, and describes the mechanics of sense perception, thought, and certain bodily functions, the creation of the Earth and the heavenly bodies, the evolution of life and human society, and the horrors of the plague of Athens.