The work of the Ancient Greek poets Sappho and Alcaeus (floruit 600 BC) suffered badly with the onset of the Dark Ages; only a scant portion survives. But they were highly regarded in antiquity and Sappho in particular has rightly seen her fortunes rise of late: what has survived of this poetry is beautiful, significant and recently augmented through exciting discoveries in papyrology.
In this course of lectures we will seek to read all that has survived of Ancient Greek lyric and to contextualise it. Sappho and Alcaeus belong to the world of ‘Archaic Greece’, a Mediterranean world that is bustling with trade in commerce and, equally importantly, ideas. This age witnesses the rise of the Greek polis against the backdrop of Persian aggression, the consolidation of writing as a medium for poetic expression (and otherwise) and the miracle of rationalism that was to become Greek philosophy and science. But these poets also belong to a circle of hugely important archaic Greek poets and to get a better understanding of their work we will spend some time with all of them.
We will start briefly with the epic background in Homer and Hesiod then move to Archilochus, an iambic sole survivor of the previous generation. We will then study Sappho and Alcaeus directly, along with their contemporary, the choral poet Alcman and finally Stesichorus, whose lyrics paved the way for Bacchylides and Pindar.
Learning outcomes
- a good understanding of the actual content of Ancient Greek lyric poetry;
- a good understanding of the historical context in which it was produced;
- a good understanding of key terms of analysis, including Ancient Greek words and metrical terms.
