Common sense satire comes from people like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert who make fun of government and the idiotic way they try to get things done, using comedy and sarcasm. This form of rhetoric is by no means a modern invention. Satire dates from the Greeks and was possible even before them. Perhaps Human's first sentence was satirical. The first Roman to critically discuss satire was Quintilian, who coined the term to describe the writings of Lucilius. The satire we use today has its origins in poets and writers like Juvenal, Horace, and Apuleius. The satire in their work is much broader than in the modern sense, including fantastical and very colorful humorous writing with little or no real mocking intent. Roman satire was a very important literary device that played an important role in their history and shaped the writings of generations to come. The oldest Roman satirist is Gaius Lucilius. His works are so old that only fragments remain. He was born in 160 BC as a Roman citizen of the equestrian class. Surprisingly, given that his work is the oldest, Lucilius' poems have no Greek origin. His work is inspired by the development of indigenous dramatic entertainment. This form of entertainment appeared before the reintroduction of Greek theater. His satirical poems would focus on the ridicule of the common way in which epics and tragic poems were created. In his works he used vocabulary commonly used in the social conversations of educated men. He even used a Greek word in his poems to imitate the language of his audience. Other topics covered by Lucilius included topics of daily life, politics, wars, administration of justice, eating and drinking, timing...... middle of paper.. ....people believe that this tale could have been one of Apuleius's earliest works, before some of his more famous works, or towards the end of his life. They believe it was written to force aristocrats to view themselves as slaves or as some of the poorest members of society. The Roman Empire had many great authors of satirical works throughout its history. Many of the early authors shaped the genre for others to come. Their work may not have been popular at the time, but it may have shown popularity later. These writers formed the genre for today's satirists like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Satire has come from history to the present day and will continue for as long as humans can express themselves. Roman satire was a very important literary device that played an important role in their history and shaped the writings of generations to come..