Greek Poetry in the Roman Empire by Prof Tim Whitmarsh

Why did Greeks still write poetry during the Roman Empire? What did they write about? Did they follow traditional patterns, or innovate? Did they use the old quantitative metres, or the new stress rhythms? This paper considers a range of poetic devices, with a particular emphasis on popular poetry, where some new evidence will be introduced.

Tim Whitmarsh FBA is the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge. He has written on ancient Greek literature and culture over a 1000-year period, with a particular emphasis on the literature of the Roman Empire. His books include Beyond the Second Sophistic: Adventures in Greek Postclassicism, Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World, and Dirty Love: The Genealogy of the Ancient Greek Novel’.

Event photo © T. Whitmarsh

Organised by The Hellenic Centre and The Cambridge Centre for Greek Studies, University of Cambridge