Epigram

Provides an introduction as to what epigram means and why it matters. Short content excellent for undergraduates and researchers alike.

This book provides an introduction as to what epigram means and why it matters. Subjects covered include the roots in inscriptions on stone, the continuation of Greek epigram under the Roman empire and a chapter discussing new importance in the nineteenth century as material for stories about the classical past.This is an introduction to the ancient genre of epigram, short poems literally written or inscribed 'on' an object or figuratively 'on' a topic. The authors set out what epigram means and why it matters, exploring its roots in inscriptions on stone and its literary flourishing in the Hellenistic world after Alexander. They trace its migration from Greece to Rome, where its most famous exponent was Martial, and consider the continuation of Greek epigram under the Roman empire in the so-called 'Second Sophistic'. The final chapter shows how Greek epigram achieved new importance in the nineteenth century as raw material for stories about the classical past.