The ancient Roman poet Abronius Silo (sometimes translated into Italian as Abronio Silone) was a pupil of the famous rhetorician Porcius Latro. Only two fragments of his poetry survive, preserved by Seneca the Elder in his work Suasoriae (2.19). [1]

The most famous line written by Abronius Silo, describing the fall of the Trojan hero Hector, is:

• Latin:

  "Belli mora concidit Hector."

• English Translation:

  "Hector, the delay of the war, has fallen."

  [1]

Context of the Line

Silo originally included this line in a poem he performed publicly. However, it sparked a historic accusation of plagiarism. His teacher, Porcius Latro, had recently delivered a famous political speech (sententia) about whether the Spartans should flee or stay at Thermopylae, using the phrase "si nihil aliud, erimus certe belli mora" ("at worst, we shall certainly be a delay to the war"). Silo adapted his teacher's clever phrasing to describe how Hector's defense of Troy was the only thing holding back the Greek victory. [1]

If you are interested, I can provide the full two-line Latin fragment that contains this phrase or share more historical details about the literary circles of Augustan Rome. [1]