Apuleius was born in Madaura, the present-day city of Mdaourouch in Algeria, in approximately 125 CE. Although coming from a Roman colony, Apuleius did not identify as a Roman citizen, preferring to regard himself as part-Numidian and part-Gaetulian (in reference to the location of Madaura between Numidia and Gaetulia). His family was prosperous enough to provide him with an excellent education that included schooling in Carthage, Athens and possibly Rome.

The extant works of Apuleius include the Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass, a novel in 11 books; the Apology, the published version of a self-defence speech originally delivered in court in CE 158; the Florida, 23 oratorical pieces; and the philosophical work, The God of Socrates, in addition to two more works of a similar nature but of

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Citation: Johnson, Marguerite. "Apuleius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 April 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=134, accessed 19 March 2024.]

134 Apuleius 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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