Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica (2 vols.)

by Hesiod

Publishers:

Macmillan Co.; William Heinemann

, 1914

Overview

This two-volume collection contains the works that represent nearly all that remains of the post-Homeric and pre-academic epic poetry. These extended narrative poems were typically written on topics and events significant to the culture of the ancient Greeks, although Hesiod was exemplified for his epyllion styled poetry which concentrated on Greek mythology. Both the original Greek versions and English translations of works attributed to Hesiod, Homer and other authors with similar writing styles are included in this collection.

Hesiod wrote well-respected works on Greek mythology, farming techniques, economics, astronomy and ancient time keeping. This continuation of the Loeb Classical Library series also includes partial works and Hesiod’s only complete works Works and Days, Shield of Heracles, and Theogony. Other works in this collection include The Marriage of Ceyx, Fragments of Unknown Position, The Melampodia, The Aegimius and Doubtful Fragments, The Homeric Hymns, The Epigrams Of Homer, and more.

This collection contains the complete texts in their Loeb Classical Library editions. Each text is included in its original Greek, with an English translation for side-by-side comparison. Use Logos’ language tools to go deeper into the Greek text—with the dictionary lookup tool, for example, you can examine difficult English words used by the translator. If you're at all interested in the study of rhetoric, literature, or Greek—whether you’re a classical scholar or a student approaching Greek for the first time—Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica is a must.

Key Features

• Loeb Classical Library editions
• Hesiod’s only complete works Works and Days, Shield of Heracles, and Theogony
• Compilation of partially completed works by Hesiod
• Among the earliest Greek poems in existence, including Homer’s earliest poetry

Product Details

• Title: Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica
• Author: Hesiod and Homer
• Translator: Hugh G. Evelyn-White
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Wililam Heinemann
• Volumes: 2
• Pages: 694

About the Authors

Hesiod was an early Greek poet who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer are generally considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived since at least Herodotus’ time, and they are often paired. Hesiod’s writings serve as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, archaic Greek astronomy, and ancient timekeeping. Of the many works attributed to Hesiod, three survive complete, plus many more in fragmentary state; these include Works and Days, Theogony and The Shield of Heracles.

Homer was an ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. They are commonly dated to the late ninth or early eighth century BC, and many scholars believe the Iliad is the oldest extant work of literature in ancient Greek, making it the first work of European literature. The ancient Greeks generally believed that Homer was a historical individual, but some modern scholars are skeptical; no reliable biographical information has been handed down from classical antiquity.