Dioscorides and Antipater of Sidon : The Poems

Of all the Greek epigrammatists, Dioscorides and Antipater of Sidon perhaps most faithfully represent the Hellenistic society’s reaction to a rapidly changing world — its introverted individualism. Their epigrams, distinguished by conciseness and range of themes, express the ephemeral nature of happiness and the inevitability of death. These epigrams — with their brief scope, intriguing subject matter, rhetorical flourishes, and intricately embroidered thematic variation — offer an enjoyable and attainable introduction to Hellenistic epigram.

Special Features

• Annotated Greek text
• Introduction to the lives and works of the two poets
• Glossary
• Selected bibliography
• Index of proper names
• List of the sources of the poems