Antipater of Thessalonica facts for kids

Antipater of Thessalonica was an ancient Greek poet. He lived around 10 BC to AD 38. He was famous for writing short, clever poems called epigrams.

Who Was Antipater of Thessalonica?

Antipater lived a long time ago, during the Roman Empire. He was alive when Emperor Augustus ruled. He might have even lived into the time of Emperor Caligula.

A Poet with Important Friends

Antipater had a powerful friend named Lucius Calpurnius Piso. Piso was a Roman leader. He was a consul, which was a top government job. Piso also governed a region called Macedonia. He liked Antipater's poems. Because of this friendship, Piso made Antipater the governor of Thessalonica. This was an important city in ancient Greece.

His Famous Poems

Antipater wrote many poems called epigrams. An epigram is a short, witty poem. Many of his poems are found in a collection called the Greek Anthology. This book contains thousands of ancient Greek poems. Antipater wrote at least 35 poems in this collection.

Some of his poems talk about important events of his time:

• One poem celebrates the city of Nicopolis. This city was founded by Octavian after a big battle called the battle of Actium.
• Another poem talks about Octavian's victory over the Parthians. This happened during a trip in 20 BC.
• He also wrote a poem for Gaius Caesar, who passed away in AD 4.

Antipater was also known for suggesting a different list of famous female poets. He thought there should be nine female poets, just like the famous list of nine male lyric poets.

See also

• Apollodorus (runner), Antipater's epigram
• Greek Anthology