Hesiod
Ancient Greek poet, author of Theogony and Works and Days
Yair Haklai · via Wikipedia: Hesiod · CC BY-SA 4.0
He is regarded as the first written poet in the Western tradition to present himself as an individual persona.[1] The Ancient Greek poet Hesiod is estimated to have been composing verses between 750 and 650 BC, a period contemporary with Homer's activity.[2] According to modern scholars, Hesiod is a key source for understanding Greek mythology, agricultural methods, and early economic ideas.[1]
Quick Facts
- Language
- Ancient Greek
- Occupation
- Poet
- philosopher
- farmer
- Notable works
- Works and Days; Theogony
- Years active
- 750-650 BC
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Hesiod once crossed to Euboea to compete in funeral games for Amphidamas of Chalcis and won a tripod in a singing competition.[3] The personality behind his poems is described as "argumentative, suspicious, ironically humorous, frugal, fond of proverbs, wary of women".[4] Three works attributed to him survive: Works and Days, Theogony, and Shield of Heracles.[5] The Shield of Heracles is now known to be spurious and probably written in the sixth century BC.[5]
Theogony and Works and Days share a distinctive language, metre, and prosody that distinguish them from Homer's work.[5] While tending sheep on Mount Helicon, Hesiod recounts an encounter with the Muses, who bestowed upon him a laurel staff as an emblem of his poetic craft.[3] One early tradition, recorded in a 7th-century BC epigram by Chersias of Orchomenus, states that Hesiod's grave is located at Orchomenus in Boeotia.[6]
What the cited sources add
Williams describes Hesiod as the poetic representative of Agriculture and peaceful Industry, contrasting with Homer as the representative of War.[7] The Ethics of Diet account notes that Hesiod's verses describing the "Golden Age" life depict a nonviolent diet based on agriculture and fruit-culture as a higher mode of living.[7] The only known authenticated portrait of Hesiod appears on the Monnus mosaic from Augusta Treverorum (Trier), dating to the end of the 3rd century CE.[8] According to Hesiod, two perpetually opposing forces operate on Earth: the malevolent spirit of War and Violence and the benevolent spirit of Peace and Industry.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Hesiod" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barron, J. P., and Easterling, P. E., "Hesiod" in The Cambridge History of Classical Literature: Greek Literature,, P. E. Easterling and B. Knox (eds.), Cambrid; Andrewes, Antony, Greek Society, Pelican Books (1971), p. 254 f.; Rothbard, Murray N., Economic Thought Before Adam Smith: Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, vol. 1, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishin (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hesiod" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hesiod". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hesiod" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jasper Griffin, 'Greek Myth and Hesiod' in The Oxford History of the Classical World, J. Boardman, J. Griffin and O. Murray (eds), Oxford University Press (1986 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hesiod" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Griffin, 'Greek Myth and Hesiod' in The Oxford History of the Classical World, p. 88.; Barron and Easterling, 'Hesiod' in The Cambridge History of Classical Literature: Greek Literature, p. 99. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hesiod" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barron and Easterling, Hesiod in The Cambridge History of Classical Literature: Greek Literature, p. 94. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hesiod" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Elton, "The Remains of Hesiod the Ascræan, Including the Shield of Hercules by Hesiod", BALDWIN, CRADOCK, AND JOY, 1815 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Williams, Howard, The Ethics of Diet – A Catena (1883).. facts only, no text reused. ivu.org
- "Portrait of Hesiod", World History Encyclopedia. facts only, no text reused. worldhistory.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hesiod (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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