Martial

Roman poet — born in Spain — author of 12 books of Epigrams — who created the satirical epigram as a literary form and is the most acute observer of Roman social life in antiquity.

Creates the two-part satirical epigram — Martial's structure (setup that creates an expectation, punchline that subverts it) is the foundational form of the Western epigram; his observations on Roman social climbing, patron-client relationships, and hypocrisy are the most precise social commentary of antiquity.