Life Dionysius of Alexandria, known as Dionysius Periegetes (the Voyager), was a Greek didactic poet who flourished in the 2nd century CE, likely during the reign of Hadrian [1, 2]. Identified as being from Alexandria, no further biographical details are recorded [1, 2, 3].

Works His sole surviving work is the Periegesis of the Inhabited World (Περιήγησις τῆς οἰκουμένης), a hexameter poem systematically describing the known world.

Significance Dionysius’s Periegesis was a widely influential geographical summary in verse, used as a standard school text for centuries [1, 2, 3]. Its educational role ensured its survival and prompted a Latin translation by Priscian (c. 500 CE) and Byzantine commentaries [1, 2]. The poem transmitted classical geographical knowledge into the Middle Ages and Renaissance [3].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dionysius-Periegetes 2. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2236 3. Perseus Digital Library, entry in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Ddionysius-periegetes-bio-1