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Collection
The poets of ancient Greece are among the most famous in the world and established many of the forms still used by artists today. From the epic poetry of Homer to the more intimate works of Sappho of Lesbos, ancient Greek poetry has inspired, and helped to shape, the works of poets for over 2,000 years.
In honor of National Poetry Month in the United States, this collection presents some of the most famous Greek poets of antiquity, along with their muses. Readers are encouraged to explore the many others not included here.
Questions & Answers
Who is the greatest ancient Greek poet?
- Homer is considered the greatest ancient Greek poet.
Who is Hesiod?
- Hesiod is the ancient Greek poet famous for his "Theogony" and "Works and Days", both of which helped establish ancient Greek religion, now regarded as "mythology."
Was Sappho of Lesbos really gay?
- Scholars continue to debate whether Sappho of Lesbos was a lesbian as it is possible, though not likely, that her poetry on same-sex relationships was a literary construct.
Did Telesilla of Argos really defend her city against Sparta?
- According to ancient Greek texts, Telesilla of Argos defended her city against an attack from Sparta. She was a well-known poet at the time, however, so the debate continues as to whether her defense of the city was heroic propaganda or established historical fact.
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About the Author
Joshua J. Mark is World History Encyclopedia's co-founder and Content Director. He was previously a professor at Marist College (NY) where he taught history, philosophy, literature, and writing. He has traveled extensively and lived in Greece and Germany.
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License & Copyright
Uploaded by Joshua J. Mark, published on 22 April 2024. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.