Hesiod biography definition

Hesiod (Hesiodos, Ἡσίοδος) was an early Greekpoet and rhapsode who lived around 700 B.C.E. Often cited alongside his close contemporary Homer, Hesiod is one of the oldest poets in the Western canon, and the primary poet of the pastoral tradition.

He is also the first poet to write didactic, or instructional, verses. Hesiod's poetry, composed before the invention of literacy, served a very practical purpose in his own time, acting as primary sources for religious instruction and agricultural knowledge.

Hesiod biography definition and example

This makes Hesiod's poetry appear down-to-earth and pragmatically minded, concerned with how to live and what to do, in contrast to the epic adventures of his contemporaries.

Life

As with Homer, legendary traditions have accumulated around Hesiod.

Unlike the case of Homer, however, some biographical details have survived: a few details of Hesiod's life come from three references in Works and Days; some further inferences derive from his Theogony. Hesiod lived