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.

• 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