Greek writers
Hesiodos
Hesiodos was a Greek writer, poet and philosopher. He was born in the 8th century BC (Askra) and died in the 7th century BC (Cyme).
The work of Hesiod was later inspired by Virgil. The crater Hesiodus on the moon is also named after him.
Very little is known about Hesiod's life, and that only from a few references in his poems. His father was supposed to be a merchant in Asia Minor, but after he went bankrupt, he settled with his family in the poor village of Askra in Boeotia. Here he had 2 sons, when Hesiodos lost a dispute over the family inheritance. However, he continued to live there as a simple peasant.
In his poems he complains about the poor conditions and the harsh winters. In his poems he tries to imitate Homer, except that he writes about peasants instead of nobles. He also wrote works that dealt with the origin of the universe, gods or humans.
Hesiod's most famous works are "On the Origin of the Gods (Theogonia)" and "Works and Days".
In "On the Origin of the Gods (Theogonia)" he describes the different epochs of the gods as they followed each other in 1000 verses (hexameters). This is the most important source of Greek mythology.
In "Work and Days" he describes how a peasant should live and work. The work begins with the myth of Pandora's Box, which explains the origin of all evil in the world.