Hesiod

Apostolos Athanassakis (Santa Barbara City College)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Askra, Hesiod’s birthplace in Boeotia (central Greece), is situated at a short distance from its modern counterpart, the charming village of Palaiopanagia. Its slopes, covered with lush vineyards, face “god-haunted” Helicon, and the rectangular garrison that sits at the very top of the gentle town hill, the Hesiodic Acropolis.

Hesiod speaks in the first person; he is the first Greek epic poet to do so. He talks about his trip to the island of Euboea, where he performed for the funeral games of Amphidamas and won a great trophy. His father, an impoverished sea trader, came to Askra from the city of Kyme in Asia Minor. All of his poetry is didactic and is usually classified as “wisdom literature” (West 1978:3-25).

Hesiod speaks in the first person; he is the first Greek epic poet to…

2266 words

Citation: Athanassakis, Apostolos. "Hesiod". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 May 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2114, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2114 Hesiod 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.