What is Archilochus known for?
Archilochus, (flourished c. 650 bce, Paros [Cyclades, Greece]), poet and soldier, the earliest Greek writer of iambic, elegiac, and personal lyric poetry whose works have survived to any considerable extent. The surviving fragments of his work show him to have been a metrical innovator of the highest ability.
Who was alcaeus hostile towards?
He feels only hostility toward those who betray their city-state, since traitors had torn his own city apart. Several surviving poems extol the beauty of women, and many express Alcaeus’s favorite theme of being happy in spite of troubled times.
Which poet wrote very Unheroically and UN Homerically too that he was happy to throw away his shield and escape from battle with his life?
| Archilochus | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Ἀρχίλοχος |
| Born | c. 680 BC Paros |
| Died | c. 645 BC Paros |
| Occupation | Poet |
What was a Greek symposium?
A symposium was a social gathering in ancient Greece. At symposia, male citizens would gather for dinner, drinking, conversation, music, and entertainment. They would engage in jokes and games, recite poetry, and watch professional musicians and dancers.
What occurred during the Hellenistic period?
The Hellenistic period was characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization which established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa. This resulted in the export of Greek culture and language to these new realms, spanning as far as modern-day India.
Why did Spartans learn to read?
The purpose of education in Sparta was to produce and maintain a powerful army. Sparta boys entered military school when they were about six years old. They learned how to read and write, but those skills were not considered very important except for messages. Military school was tough, on purpose.
Why did Archilochus throw away his shield?
Archilochus viewed Thasos as the meeting-place for the calamities of all of Greece. The inhabitants were frequently involved in quarrels with their neighbors. In a war against the Saians—a Thracian tribe—he threw away his shield and fled from the field of battle.
Why is Alcaeus away from home?
After the failure of a conspiracy, Alcaeus went into exile in Pyrrha, a small town near Mytilene. During his exile Alcaeus wrote bitter polemics against Pittacus, who had joined another faction.