Athenaeus the Epigrammatist (Ἀθήναιος ὁ Ἐπιγραμματοποιός)

Life Athenaeus is known only as the name attached to epigrams preserved in the Greek Anthology; no biographical details survive [1]. His conventional placement in the 3rd–2nd centuries BCE derives from the inclusion of his work in the Garland of Meleager, a foundational Hellenistic poetry collection compiled around 100 BCE [1][2].

Works His surviving corpus consists of approximately twenty epigrams preserved in the Greek Anthology [1][3]. These are primarily erotic poems, often addressed to boys, and sympotic verses on drinking, genres typical of the Hellenistic period. A smaller number are dedicatory or sepulchral in theme [3].

Significance His inclusion in Meleager's Garland marks him as a noteworthy practitioner of the epigram in his era [1]. His poems exemplify the personal, erotic, and convivial themes explored by Hellenistic epigrammatists. He is studied as part of the collective corpus of Hellenistic minor poetry, surviving solely through the anthology tradition.

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1022 2. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0471 3. Perseus Digital Library - Athenaeus Entry (Tufts University): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0470:book=1:chapter=2:section=1