Lyrica Adespota (Λυρικά Ἀδέσποτα) is not an author but a collective term for anonymous fragments of Greek lyric poetry. The designation means “lyrics without an owner.” These fragments, transmitted through quotations in later authors, papyri, and inscriptions, date largely from the Archaic and Classical periods (7th to 5th centuries BCE) [1]. The original poets were active across the Greek world, and their works were performed in typical social, religious, and competitive contexts. No biography exists for this corpus; scholarship focuses on textual reconstruction, metrical analysis, and situating the fragments within the history of Greek lyric.

The corpus comprises numerous short, often fragmentary poems compiled in modern editions such as Denys Page’s Poetae Melici Graeci (PMG) and Malcolm Davies’s Poetarum Melicorum Graecorum Fragmenta (PMGF). Notable examples include the “Linos-song” (PMG 880) and the complete inscribed “Song of Seikilos” [1].

These anonymous fragments are significant for revealing the breadth of Greek lyric beyond major figures like Sappho or Pindar. They offer glimpses into popular song, cult practice, and poetic tradition, preserving rare words, mythological references, and metrical forms that supplement the known canon [1].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-literature/Lyric-poetry 2. Perseus Digital Library, Search for "adespota": https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/searchresults?q=adespota 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics, "Lyric Poetry, Greek": https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3792