From All That's Interesting:
According to Greco-Roman legend, Dido founded the ancient city of Carthage in modern-day Tunisia by requesting a seemingly small amount of land from a local chieftain — only as much as an ox-hide could cover. Dido then cleverly cut that ox-hide into tiny strips and laid them out in a circle, claiming a much larger space than expected.
Encompassing an entire hillside, Carthage quickly transformed into a bustling metropolis, and Dido became famous not only as the founder of the city, but also its first queen. However, as ancient myths tell it, her power and influence couldn’t protect her from meeting a tragic fate.
In Virgil’s Aeneid, Queen Dido fell in love with the Trojan hero Aeneas after he landed in North Africa. Though it initially seemed like Aeneas returned her feelings, Aeneas was soon commanded by the gods to continue on his planned journey. He then abandoned Dido, leading her to die by suicide.
The mists of time have forever clouded the story of this fabled queen, and it’s still unclear whether she was inspired by a real historical figure. Despite this, Dido’s legends have captivated countless people for millennia. (Read more.)
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