Hermesianax
Hermesianax of Colophon (gen.: Ἑρμησιάνακτος) was an Ancient Greek elegiac poet of the Hellenistic period, said to be a pupil of Philitas of Cos; the dates of his life and work are all but lost, but Philitas is supposed to have been born c. His chief work was a poem in three books, dedicated to his mistress Leontion. Plaintive in tone, it enumerates instances, mythological and semi-historical, of the irresistible power of love.
Also recorded as Hermesianax of Colophon
Hermesianax
- Born
- 400 · Colophon.
- Died
- 300
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Pergamon
- Occupation
- poet · writer
- Fields
- elegy
- Teachers
- Philetas of Cos
- Languages
- Ancient Greek
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 102395152 · wikidata · Q1613558
In this article
Representation in art
Representation in art
Hermesianax, whose style is characterized by alternate force and tenderness, was exceedingly popular in his own times, and was highly esteemed even in the Augustan period. Many separate editions have been published of the fragment, the text of which is in a very unsatisfactory condition: by FW Schneidewin (1838), J Bailey (1839, with notes, glossary, and Latin and English versions), and others; R Schulze's Quaestiones Hermesianacteae (1858) contains an account of the life and writings of the poet and a section on the identity of Leontion.
• Illustration — Sappho and Alcaeus, 1881. Representation of "Banquet of the Learned," book 2, line 598. The Walters Art Museum.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
300
Hermesianax died.
400
Hermesianax born at Colophon.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 102395152, Hermesianax, Cyprius.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1613558: Hermesianax
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Hermesianax (poet), revision 1357444816 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 102395152, Hermesianax, Cyprius.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1613558: HermesianaxWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Hermann WissmannAuthor
- Hermann WitsiusAuthor
- Hermenegild JirečekAuthor
- Hermes CarleialAuthor
- HermiasAuthor
- Hermine Lecomte du NouÿAuthor
- Herminia BrumanaAuthor
- Herminie de La Brousse de VerteillacAuthor
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