Dido The Tragic Queen of Carthage in Roman Mythology

**Title: Dido: The Tragic Queen of Carthage in Roman Mythology** Dido, also known as Elissa, is one of the most captivating figures in Roman mythology, remembered for her role as the legendary queen and founder of Carthage. Her tale is immortalized in Virgil’s epic poem, the *Aeneid*, where she is portrayed as a tragic heroine whose love, leadership, and untimely death have resonated through the ages. Dido was originally a Phoenician princess, the daughter of King Belus of Tyre. After her brother Pygmalion assassinated her husband, Sychaeus, in a ruthless bid for power, Dido fled her homeland with a loyal band of followers. Guided by a divine prophecy, she sailed across the Mediterranean and landed on the coast of North Africa, where she negotiated with the local Berber king, Iarbas, for a plot of land. Legend has it that she cleverly acquired enough land to build a city by asking for only as much territory as could be covered by an oxhide and then cutting the hide into thin strips to encomp