Horace began writing his "Epodes" after the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC. He had fought as a military tribune in the losing army of Caesar's assassins and his fatherly estate was confiscated in the aftermath of the battle. Having been pardoned by Octavian, Horace began to write poetry in this period. His budding relationship with the wealthy Gaius Maecenas features in several poems, which locates most of the work on the "Epodes" in the 30s BC. The finished collection was published in 30 BC.