 Petrarch's "Africa" was conceived as a classical Latin poetic counterpart and the highlight of his similar "De viris illustribus" about famous men of ancient times.Many of the subjects of "Africa" are also found in "De viris illustribus" which is based on Livy's extensive History of Rome.Petrarch wrote his historical Latin epic in the spirit of the main character of "De viris illustribus", Cornelius Scipio Africanus.