ANCIENT LITERATURE: HISTORY AND MAIN REPRESENTATIVES - LITERATURE - 2025

The ancient literature is the name that all literature of ancient Greece, Rome and some other ancient civilizations distinguished. These works were developed between the years 1000 a. C. and 400 d. C. The term "literature" comes from the Latin littera, which means letters, and refers properly to writing.

Today the concept refers more to the notion of art than to writing itself. In fact, the roots of literature lie in oral traditions, which arose around the world long before the development of writing. The most influential and respected works of ancient literature are the narrative poems The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Homer, one of the main representatives of ancient literature

These poems, originally works of oral tradition, were developed by Homer in the archaic period. However, although Western prose and drama were also born in the archaic period, these genres flourished in the classical period. Precisely, the works of this time are those that are part of the notion of ancient literature.

On the other hand, the preferred medium of expression was poetry. The ancient Greeks and Romans produced the first western prose stories, but this genre was not very popular.

Origin and history

Western ancient literature originated in the Sumerian region of southern Mesopotamia, specifically in Uruk. Then it flourished in Egypt, then in Greece (the written word was imported from the Phoenicians), and later in Rome.

The first known author of literature in the world was the priestess of the city of Ur (Mesopotamia), Enheduanna (2285 BC - 2250 BC). This priestess wrote hymns of praise to the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

Broadly speaking, much of the ancient literature of Mesopotamia concerned the activities of the gods. However, over time humans also began to be the main characters in poems.

Later, in the old Babylonian Empire (1900 and 1600 BC), a literature based on the ancient mythology of the Sumerians flourished. Scribes recorded religious, poetic, and "scientific" works in Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform.

Of this period, the most famous work is The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest epic story in the world, written 1500 years before Homer wrote The Iliad.

Literature also developed in China and in each of the great first civilizations, with their very particular characteristics.

Ancient greek literature

The literature of Greek society was very advanced. Many experts agree that the entire Western literary tradition began there, with the epic poems of Homer.

In addition to the invention of epic and lyrical forms of poetry, the Greeks were also primarily responsible for the development of drama.

Today, his productions in the genre of tragedy and comedy are still counted as masterpieces of drama.

Greek poetry

The early Greek verses were epic in nature, a form of narrative literature that recounted the life and works of a heroic or mythological person or group. The Iliad and The Odyssey are the most recognized works of this genre.

They also developed didactic poetry, the main intention of which was not entertainment, but rather emphasized the educational and informational qualities of literature. Its main representative was the poet Hesiod.

On the other hand is lyrical poetry. In this style the verse was accompanied by the lyre and choruses. Generally it was a short poem that expressed personal feelings, and was divided into stanzas, antiestrophies and epodos.

In addition, they developed other poetic styles that included lyrical odes, elegies, and pastoral poems.

Greek tragedy

The Greek tragedy unfolded in the Attica region, around Athens, in the 6th century BC. The dramatists generally composed the music, choreographed the dances, and directed the actors.

In this rather stylized art form the actors wore masks and the performances incorporated song and dance.

Works were generally not divided into acts, and the action was limited to a period of twenty-four hours.

By convention, distant, violent, or complex actions were not dramatized. Instead, they were described on stage by a messenger of some kind.

In addition, the composition of the works and the performance were in charge exclusively of the men. The youngest played the female roles.

Greek comedy

One of the main elements of a comedy was the entrance of the choir (parados). The choir then addressed the audience directly (parabasis) on one or more occasions.

To close there was a formal debate between the protagonist and the antagonist, often with the chorus acting as judge (agon).

In general, comedies were mainly shown at the Lenaia festival, Athens. This was an annual religious and dramatic festival. In later years they were also staged in Dionisias, a city that in its beginnings was more identified with tragedy than with comedy.

Chinese ancient literature

Ancient Chinese literature encompasses an extensive work comprising both prose and lyrical poetry, historical and didactic writing, drama, and various various forms of fiction.

Chinese literature is considered one of the most important literary heritages in the world. Part of this distinction is due to the fact that it has an unbroken history of more than 3,000 years.

His vehicle, the Chinese language, has preserved its identity in its oral and written aspects over the years. The gradual changes in pronunciation and the existence of multiple dialects have not been able to influence it.

Even the continuity in the development of ancient Chinese literature has been maintained during periods of foreign domination.

However, unlike the literatures of other cultures of the world, this literature does not present great epics. The information available on their mythological traditions is incomplete and fragmentary.

However, Chinese literary works cover a wide spectrum: works of fiction, philosophical and religious, poetry and scientific writings. Of all the genres, prose and poetry are the most widely produced.

Chinese prose

According to documentary records, before the 6th century BC. C. there were numerous short works in prose. This included, among others, various types of State documents.

Of all this production only two collections survived: the Shu or Shu Jing or Classic of history and the Yi Jing or Classic of changes, a manual of divination and cosmology.

Poetry

The first anthology of Chinese poetry is known as the Shi Jing or Classical poetry. This collection consists of songs dedicated to the temple and the imperial court, as well as containing various popular themes.

This collection is estimated to have been completed sometime around the time of Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC). The Shijing is considered the third of the five classics (Wujing) of Confucian literature.

Originally, the poems of Shijing were recited with musical accompaniment, since the rhymes were designed for this. Some poems, especially temple songs, were also accompanied by dancing.

On the other hand, this text from ancient literature had a profound influence on Chinese poetry; the lyrical element was introduced over the narrative element.

Today this work is highly regarded for its antiquity and because, according to a legend, Confucius himself would have edited it.

Ancient Hebrew literature

Hebrew literature begins with the Tanach, the Torah, or, as it is more commonly known, the Old Testament. It should be noted that this text is a later Christian translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

The oldest texts of this epic work are considered to have been written around 1200 BC. C. It consists of 24 books divided into three sections: the Torah (the Law), the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Ketuvim (Writings).

Generally, the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses is believed to be an amalgamation of history and oral lore taken from four main sources and compiled around the 6th century BC. C.

Many books written during the last period of ancient Jewish history were excluded from the Bible, including the books of the Maccabees. The Hebrew Bible is believed to have been finalized around the time of the destruction of the Second Temple and the beginning of the diaspora.

The Mishnah

The Mishnah is an important Jewish religious text that attempts to draft various interpretations of biblical texts and laws into an accepted definition. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi compiled it between 180 - 220 AD. C.

In this sense, this text was vital to preserving Jewish law and knowledge at a time when there was fear that the oral traditions of the Second Temple period were in danger of being forgotten.

The Gemara

It is essentially a commentary and analysis on the Mishnah. This collection of rabbinic texts is the result of generations of discussions in two main religious centers in Israel and Babylon.

This resulted in two versions of the Gemara: the Yerushalmi (Jerusalem) written between AD 350 and 400. C.; and the Bavli (Babylon), which was born in AD 500. Together, the Mishnah and the Gemara form the Talmud.

Ancient egyptian literature

Ancient Egyptian literature has a great variety of types and themes. This dates from the Old Kingdom (approx. 2755 - 2255 BC) and is in force until the Greco-Roman period (after 332 BC).

The religious literature of ancient Egypt includes hymns dedicated to the gods, mythological and magical texts, and an extensive collection of mortuary writings. For its part, secular literature includes stories, instructive literature (also called wisdom texts), poems, historical and biographical texts.

The individual authors of many compositions that originated in the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2134 - 1668 BC) were praised in later periods. Some of the stories included features of mythology and may owe much to an oral narrative tradition.

Representatives of ancient literature

Homer (epic poet, 8th century BC)

His works are considered the first in Western literature. Likewise, his representations on themes such as war and peace, honor and misfortune, love and hate are considered to be impeccable.

Hesiod (didactic poet, 8th century BC)

The didactic poems of this poet make a systematic account of Greek mythology. Specifically, Hesiod recreates the myths of creation and the gods, as well as the daily lives of the Greek farmers of his time.

Aesop (fabulist, 7th - 6th centuries BC)

Aesop represents a genre apart from literature: the fable. Specialists consider that this genus began to develop from oral traditions that date back many centuries before its birth.

Sappho (lyrical poet, 7th - 6th centuries BC)

Sappho, together with Pindar (lyrical poet, 6th - 5th centuries BC) represent, in their different forms, the apotheosis of Greek lyric poetry.

Aeschylus (Greek dramatist, 523 BC - 456 BC)

He is considered the father of the tragedy genre. In his work he conceived the drama in the form in which it is known today. Western literature changed by introducing dialogue and the interaction of characters in the work.

Sophocles (tragic playwright, 5th century BC)

Sophocles is credited with the skillful development of irony as a literary technique. It is also claimed that, with his works, he extended the limits of what was considered permissible in drama.

Euripides (tragic playwright, 5th century BC)

He used his works to challenge the social norms and customs of his time. This would be the hallmark of much of Western literature for the next 2 millennia.

In fact, Euripides was the first playwright to develop female characters in his dramas.

Confucius (Chinese philosopher, 551 BC - 479 BC)

The Confucian classics were very important in the history of China. These were the texts that people needed to know to pass a Chinese nobility exam.

Eleazar ha-Kalir (liturgical poet, c. 570 AD - 640

He made radical innovations in the diction and style of the piyus. At the same time, he used the full range of post-biblical Hebrew.

Publius Vergilius Maro (Roman poet, 70 BC - 19 BC)

Virgil was considered by the Romans as their best poet; this estimate has been maintained through subsequent generations. His fame is based mainly on his work The Aeneid.

This work tells the story of the legendary founder of Rome and proclaims the Roman mission to civilize the world under divine guidance.

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