Chris Carey

Greek epigram is a remarkable poetic form. The briefest of all ancient Greek genres, it is also the most resilient: for almost a thousand years it attracted some of the finest Greek poetic talents as well as exerting a profound influence on Latin literature, and it continues to inspire and influence modern translations and imitations. Meer

For over two centuries-starting with the earliest surviving iambic poet and elegist, Archilochus-elegy and iambus attracted some of the finest poetic talents in Greek history and played a major role in public and private life, surviving as living forms into the fourth century BC. Meer

During the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, a Greek force of approximately 7,000 faced the biggest army ever seen in the Greek peninsula. For three days, the Persians--the greatest military force in the world--were stopped in their tracks by a vastly inferior force, before the bulk of the Greek army was forced to retreat with their rear guard wiped out in one of history's most famous last stands. Meer

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