 Based on Statius' own testimony, the "Thebaid" was written c. 80 – c. 92 AD, beginning when the poet was around 35, and the work is thought to have been published in 91 or 92.The poem is divided into twelve books in imitation of Virgil's "Aeneid" and is composed in dactylic hexameter.In the "Silvae", Statius speaks of his extensive work in polishing and revising the "Thebaid" and his public recitations of the poem.