This volume is devoted to Hellenistic poetry in the context of the
contemporary world of third century Alexandria and beyond. This topic
fits in with the increasing interest in the role of literature in
ancient society in recent research, which has already been applied
successfully to various aspects of Hellenistic poetry. The subject also
has an added interest because for a long time there has been a tendency
to regard this kind of poetry as art for art’s sake, a kind of
autonomous poetry and display of virtuosity among scholar-poets, who
indulged in being as sophisticated as possible without being in touch
with the real world. This view has been rightly challenged in recent
years and the articles in this volume reflect this new approach, as the
authors investigate the ways in which Hellenistic poetry, played a part
in its social and cultural context.