Why was the Aeneid written?

The Aeneid was written to explain to the Roman people how people came to settle in Italy. It tells Aeneas' story, a Trojan who, according to legend, become an ancestor to the Romans. Virgil was the author of this epic poem, and he cleverly created family ties from Aeneas to Augustus (Augustus was the emperor Virgil's patron). This made the story more interesting and important to the people of the Roman Empire.

Picture: http://www.sffaudio.com/images08/librivoxtheaeneid500.jpg