Hidden Figures

Chapter Four Hidden Figures The Women Who Wrote Epigrams Laurel Bowman, Laurel BowmanSearch for more papers by this author Laurel Bowman, Laurel BowmanSearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Christer Henriksén, Christer HenriksénSearch for more papers by this author First published: 21 December 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118841709.ch4 AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary No ancient genre preserves as many female-authored poems as that of epigram. The private production, and publication in writing, of Hellenistic epigram gave female poets, who were generally excluded from public oral performance, an opportunity for dissemination of their work not afforded them by previous largely orally performed genres of Greek poetry. The four major female authors of epigram are the Hellenistic poets Erinna, Moero, Anyte, and Nossis, all of whom flourished in the first generation of Hellenistic epigram. Each introduced critical innovations in the genre. The work of each of these poets shows a high level of education, deep roots in their poetic predecessors, and keen and witty innovation both on canonical authors and on the conventions of inscribed epigram. All were highly influential on their (male) successors in the genre of book epigram, which in some crucial ways they may almost be said to have invented. A Companion to Ancient Epigram RelatedInformation