Hesiod, if we accept the traditional and generally accepted chronological placement, stands in the shadow of Homer in terms of language and meter, but not in terms of theme or narrative technique. His poem "Works and Days," dedicated to rural life, the foundation of the archaic Greek economy, offers practical advice for more efficient cultivation of the land. However, beyond its advisory nature, the work contains fragments of proverbial wisdom inspired by the injustice the poet experienced from his brother Perses during the division of their father's inheritance.

In the "Theogony," his other major poem, the Muses make a programmatic statement that when they wish, they can speak truths and not lies that resemble truths. Only fragments of Hesiod's other works have survived. The pseudepigraphal poem "Shield of Heracles," which dates to the first third of the 6th century BC, is preserved intact. The first 54 lines refer to the wondrous birth of the hero and most likely come from the familiar story of the "Catalogue of Women." This is followed by the duel between Heracles and Cycnus, the son of Ares, and finally, the description of the hero's shield, composed in conscious rivalry with the famous description of Achilles' shield in Book 18 of the "Iliad."

ZITROS HESIOD ANCIENT GREEK LITERATURE