Who Was Tyrtaeus?:
Tyrtaeus was an elegiac poet who also led Spartan troops during the Second Messenian War (c. 650 B.C.).
Dates:
Tyrtaeus was active in the middle of the 7th century B.C. The Suda says he flourished from 640-637 B.C.
Field:
Elegiac poetry
Origin:
Tyrtaeus probably came from Laconia, whose capital was Sparta, although Plato says he was of Athenian origin.
About Tyrtaeus of Laconia:
Tyrtaeus may have been a Spartan general.
The Suda says he wrote about government for the Spartans, as well as elegiacs, and war songs. His surviving fragments are all elegiac, dealing with the Spartan constitution and military virtue. Elegy was normally accompanied by a pipe player. The work of the earliest elegists, Callinus, Tyrtaeus, and Mimnermus was suitable for performance on military campaigns and at parties.
Related Resources:
Meter in Greek and Latin Poetry
Archaic Greece Timeline
References:
The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume I Part 1 - Early Greek Poetry. Edited by P.E Easterling and B.M.W. Knox. 1989.
