Greek literature

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Greek literature dates back from the ancient Greek literature, beginning in 800 BC, to the modern Greek
literature of today.

Ancient Greek literature was written in an Ancient Greek dialect, literature ranges from the oldest
surviving written works until works from approximately the fifth century AD. This time period is divided
into the Preclassical, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Preclassical Greek literature primarily
revolved around myths and include the works of Homer; the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Classical period
saw the dawn of drama and history. Three philosophers are especially notable: Socrates, Plato,
and Aristotle. During the Roman era, significant contributions were made in a variety of subjects,
including history, philosophy, and the sciences.

Byzantine literature, the literature of the Byzantine Empire, was written in Atticizing, Medieval and

early Modern Greek. Chronicles, distinct from historics, arose in this period. Encyclopedias also
flourished in this period.

Modern Greek literature is written in common Modern Greek. The Cretan

Renaissance poem Erotokritos is one of the most significant works from this time period. Adamantios
Korais and Rigas Feraios are two of the most notable figure

Ancient Greek literature (800 BC-350 AD)[edit]

Main article:  Ancient Greek literature

Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in Ancient Greek dialects. These works range from
the oldest surviving written works in the Greek language until works from the fifth century AD. The
Greek language arose from the proto-Indo-European language; roughly two-thirds of its words can be
derived from various reconstructions of the tongue. A number of alphabets and syllabaries had been
used to render Greek, but surviving Greek literature was written in a Phoenician-derived alphabet that
arose primarily in Greek Ionia and was fully adopted by Athens by the fifth century BC.[1]
Idealized portrayal of Homer

Preclassical (800 BC-500 BC)[edit]

All ancient Greek literature was to some degree oral in nature, and the earliest literature was completely
so.[2] The Greeks created poetry before making use of writing for literary purposes. Poems created in the
Preclassical period were meant to be sung or recited (writing was little known before the 7th century
BC). Most poems focused on myths, legends that were part folktale and part religion. Tragedies and
comedies emerged around 600 BC.[3]

At the beginning of Greek literature stand the works of Homer; the Iliad and the Odyssey. Though dates
of composition vary, these works were fixed around 800 BC or after. Another significant figure was the
poet Hesiod. His two surviving works are Works and Days and Theogony.

Classical (500 BC-323 BC)[edit]

During the classical period, many of the genres of western literature became more prominent. Lyrical
poetry, odes, pastorals, elegies, epigrams; dramatic presentations
of comedy and tragedy; histories, rhetorical treatises, philosophical dialectics, and philosophical
treatises all arose in this period.[4]

The two major lyrical poets were Sappho and Pindar. Of the hundreds of tragedies written and
performed during this time period, only a limited number of plays survived. These plays are authored
by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.[5]

The comedy arose from a ritual in honor of Dionysus. These plays were full of obscenity, abuse, and
insult. The surviving plays by Aristophanes are a treasure trove of comic presentation.

Two influential historians of this age are Herodotus and Thucydides. A third historian, Xenophon, wrote

"Hellenica," which is considered an extension of Thucydides's work. [6]

The greatest prose achievement of the 4th century BC was in philosophy. Greek philosophy flourished
during the classical period. Of the philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the most famous.