Not a great deal is known about the details of Hesiod’s life. He was a native of Boeotia, a district of central Greece to which his father had migrated from Cyme in Asia Minor.

Where did Hesiod grow up?

He was a native of Boeotia, a district of central Greece to which his father had migrated from Cyme in Asia Minor. Hesiod may at first have been a rhapsodist (a professional reciter of poetry), learning the technique and vocabulary of the epic by memorizing and reciting heroic songs.

When was the Hesiod written?

Hesiod’s dates are uncertain, but leading scholars generally agree that he lived in the latter half of the 8th Century BCE, probably shortly after Homer. His major works are thought to have been written around 700 BCE.