Scurrilous verse.The poetry of the archaic period that the Greeks called iambic is characterized by scornful criticism of friend and foe and by sexual license. The purpose of these …
Cyclic verse.Greek epics of the archaic period include poems that narrate a particular heroic episode or series of episodes and poems that recount the long-term history of families …
The hero’s journey home from war.Here is a new Loeb Classical Library edition of the resplendent epic tale of Odysseus’ long journey home from the Trojan War and the legendary …
Three foundational Roman poets.The Loeb Classical Library series Fragmentary Republican Latin continues with three highly influential pioneers in the creation and development of …
Invocations, curiosities, and biographies connected with the famous Greek bard.Performances of Greek epics customarily began with a hymn to a god or goddess—as Hesiod's Theogony …
Noble verse.The Greek poetry of the archaic period that we call elegy was composed primarily for banquets and convivial gatherings. Its subject matter consists of almost any topic, …
Stately verse.Statius’ Silvae, thirty-two occasional poems, were written probably between 89 and 96 AD. Here the poet congratulates friends, consoles mourners, offers thanks, …
The father of pastoral poetry and his Hellenistic heirs.Theocritus (early third century BC), born in Syracuse and also active on Cos and at Alexandria, was the inventor of the …
The preeminent lyric poet of ancient Greece.Of the Greek lyric poets, Pindar (ca. 518–438 BC) was “by far the greatest for the magnificence of his inspiration” in Quintilian’s …
Ancient Athens’ most successful tragedian.Sophocles (497/6–406 BC), the second of the three great tragedians of Athens and by common consent one of the world's greatest poets, …
