page_title: Dido
hierarchical_section_title: Dido
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Äneas berichtet Dido vom Untergang Trojas. Öl auf Leinwand, 1815. English: Aeneas tells Dido the misfortunes of the Trojan city. Oil on canvas, 1815. Français&#160;: Énée racontant à Didon les malheurs de la ville de Troie. Huile sur toile, 1815. Русский: Пьер-Нарцисс Герен. Эней и Дидона, 1815.
context_page_description: Dido, also known as Alyssa or Elissa, was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage, located in modern Tunisia. Known only through ancient Greek and Roman sources, most of which were written well after Carthage's founding, her historicity remains uncertain. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre, today Ṣūr in Lebanon, who flees her tyranny to found her own city in northwest Africa.
  Details about Dido’s character, life, and role in the founding of Carthage are best known from the account given in Virgil's epic poem, the Aeneid, which tells the legendary story of the Trojan hero Aeneas. Dido is described as a clever and enterprising woman who flees her ruthless and autocratic brother, Pygmalion, after discovering that he was responsible for her husband's death. Through her wisdom and leadership, the city of Carthage is founded and made prosperous.
  Dido remains an enduring figure in popular culture, featured in plays, artworks, and other media into the 21st century.
context_section_description: Dido (/ˈdaɪdoʊ/ DY-doh; Ancient Greek: Διδώ [diː.dɔ̌ː], [ˈdiːdoː]), also known as Alyssa or Elissa (/iːˈlɪsə/ ə-LISS-ə, Ἔλισσα), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage, located in modern Tunisia. Known only through ancient Greek and Roman sources, most of which were written well after Carthage's founding, her historicity remains uncertain. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre, today Ṣūr in Lebanon, who flees her tyranny to found her own city in northwest Africa.
  Details about Dido’s character, life, and role in the founding of Carthage are best known from the account given in Virgil's epic poem, the Aeneid, which tells the legendary story of the Trojan hero Aeneas. Dido is described as a clever and enterprising woman who flees her ruthless and autocratic brother, Pygmalion, after discovering that he was responsible for her husband's death. Through her wisdom and leadership, the city of Carthage is founded and made prosperous. 
  Dido remains an enduring figure in popular culture, featured in plays, artworks, and other media into the 21st century. Her legacy is especially strong in Tunisia, whose women are sometimes called the "Daughters of Dido", and where she is regarded as a national symbol, even being previously featured on its currency.
caption: Aeneas recounting the Trojan War to Dido, by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin. The scene is taken from Virgil's Aeneid, where Dido falls in love with the Trojan hero Aeneas, only to be left heartbroken by his departure.
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