Hesiod

   

Hesiod was a Greek epic poet who flourished in Boeotia around 700 B.C. He, alongside Homer, was the most respected of the old Greek poets. His epic poem ‘Theogony’ describes the origins of the gods, and his ‘works and days’ deals with subjects like farming, morality and country life. In ‘works and days’, Hesiod divided time into five ages. The first is the golden age, ruled by Cronus, when people lived extremely long lives ‘without sorrow of heart’. The second is the silver age, ruled by Zeus. The third is the bronze, an epoch war, the first is the heroic age, which was the time of Trojan war. The fifth and last age, is the iron age which is corrupt present. The ‘Theogony’ presents the descent of the gods, and is one of the key documents for Greek mythology. He was also the author of a large number of lost or fragments of poems. Hesiod probably lived shortly after Homer, in a village called Ascra. He worked as a shepherd in the mountains, and then, as a peasant on a hard land when his father died. While tending his flock, the muses, was murdered b the sons of his host in Oeneon. Later, his bones were brought to Orchomenus where a monument was erected in the market place in his honour. Hesiod’s works are very important because he spoke about his experiences through his poetry. He lived during the classical era of Greece, which was an exciting period when Greek civilization flourished in all it’s glory. Hesiod’s works give us a meaningful insight into this momentous era.