Callimachus

Born in the Greek city of Cyrene (1) in North Africa, Callimachus lived and wrote at Egyptian Alexandria (1) during the brief literary golden age under King Ptolemy II (reigned 285–274 B.C.E.). Of Callimachus’s voluminous output—a reported 800 scrolls’ worth—only six hymns and some 60 epigrams survive whole. Several dozen fragments of other poems exist, and more of his verses are being discovered in the sands of Egypt.

David Sacks, Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, rev. ed., rev. Lisa R. Brody (New York: Facts On File, 2005), 74.