Greek literature has influenced not only its Roman neighbors to the west but also countless generations across the European continent. Greek writers are responsible for the introduction of such genres as poetry, tragedy, comedy, and western philosophy to the world. These Greeks authors were born not only on the soil of their native Greece but also in Asia Minor (Ionia), the islands of the Aegean, Sicily, and southern Italy.
More about: Ancient Greek LiteratureDefinition
Timeline
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c. 800 BCE - c. 700 BCEHomer of Greece writes his Iliad and Odyssey.
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c. 700 BCEGreek poet Hesiod writes his Theogony and Works and Days.
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c. 620 BCE - c. 570 BCELife of Sappho of Lesbos.
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c. 525 BCE - c. 456 BCELife of Greek tragedy poet Aeschylus.
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c. 496 BCE - c. 406 BCELife of Greek tragedy poet Sophocles.
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c. 484 BCE - 407 BCELife of Greek tragedy poet Euripides.
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c. 460 BCE - c. 380 BCELife of Greek comic poet Aristophanes.
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c. 460 BCE - c. 399 BCELife of Thucydides.
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c. 430 BCE - 415 BCEThe Histories of Herodotus is published. The work is divided into nine chapters, each dedicated to one of the Muses.
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c. 371 BCEComposition of Xenophon's memorabilia.
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370 BCEComposition of Xenophon's Anabasis.
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c. 350 BCEAristoxenos writes his theory of music treatise 'Harmonic Elements'.
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c. 340 BCEThe Greek poet and scholar Philitas is born on Kos.
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c. 200 BCE - c. 118 BCELife of the historian Polybius.
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146 BCEPolybius writes his Histories about the Roman conquest of Greece.
