Tiberianus (poet)

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Tiberianus was a late Latin poet and writer known only from fragments. He liked to experiment with different meters in his poetry and may have written the Pervigilium Veneris.

Scholars sometimes identify him with Annius Tiberianus, the eloquent governor of Gaul mentioned by Jerome in the 4th century. Another possible candidate is Iunius Tiberianus, who served as prefect of Rome in 303–304. Four complete poems and a fragment about a sunset survive under his name: Spring Day (Amnis ibat); a piece attacking the power of gold; a hymn; and a description of a dying bird. He was influenced by Ovid, Statius, Calpurnius Siculus, and the prose of Apuleius. His work was read by Fulgentius and Augustine, and his metrical experiments may have influenced Christian poets such as Hilary of Poitiers and Prudentius.