Theognis

(c. 570 BC - c. 490 BC)

More than half of all Greek elegiac poetry was preserved in two papyrus rolls with Theognis’ name affixed to them, although the collection includes verses by Mimnermus and Solon. His work served as a handbook for aristocratic symposiasts in a time marked by social turmoil, emphasizing the importance of good manners and noble behavior while chastising the newly rich for being vulgar, faithless, and arrogant.