Hesiod

Archaic Greek poet, foundational figure in Western mythology and wisdom literature.

Chronology: -776 – -700

Origins & Early Life

Hesiod ( HEE-see-əd or HEH-see-əd; Ancient Greek: Ἡσίοδος Hēsíodos; fl. c. 700 BC) was an Ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. Several of Hesiod's works have survived in their entirety.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Among these are Theogony, which tells the origins of the gods, their lineages, and the events that led to Zeus's rise to power, and Works and Days, a poem that describes the five Ages of Man, offers advice and wisdom, and includes myths such as Pandora's box. Hesiod is generally regarded by Western authors as 'the first written poet in the Western tradition to regard himself as an individual persona with an active role to play in his subject.' Ancient authors credited Hesiod and Homer with establishing Greek religious customs. Modern scholars refer to him as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, early economic thought, Archaic Greek astronomy, cosmology, and ancient time-keeping. == Name == The etymology of Ἡσίοδος (Hēsíodos) is uncertain. The name is generally analysed as a compound whose second element is -odos, but neither element has been securely identified, and Robert S.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

P. Beekes classifies it as of unknown...

Source: Wikipedia