Works and Days

Hesiod is known as a didactic poet who was popular in antiquity, though not as influential long-term as Homer, with whom Hesiod is often linked. Although dating is contested, they are typically believed to have been active in the 8th century BCE. Scholars debate whether Hesiod or Homer came first; regardless, Hesiod’s works demonstrate that he was familiar with the Theban and Trojan myths, the subjects of epic poetry.

Unlike Homer, Hesiod reveals biographical information about himself in his poems. In “Works and Days,” he divulges that his father was an economic migrant from Asia Minor who settled in a village called Ascra in Boeotia, where Hesiod grew up. At the beginning of his other poem, “Theogony,” Hesiod describes being inspired by the Muses as he tended his sheep. This, along with the dispute over the family estate and the advice Hesiod gives Perses regarding treatment of laborers, suggests the brothers could have been involved in yeomanry. When presenting seafaring advice, Hesiod notes that his only personal experience with sailing involves having crossed a narrow channel from Aulis to Euboea to participate in a poetry contest, which Hesiod claims to have won.

All that said, whether the information Hesiod provides about himself—including the dispute with his brother—can be taken at face value has been debated since antiquity.