Hesiod

The early Greek poet Hesiod is credited with the invention of didactic poetry around 700 B.C. His surviving works are the <em>Theogony</em>, relating to the stories of the gods, and the <em>Works and Days</em>, relating to peasant life. Hesiod’s poetry includes passages critical of those <em>aristoi</em> who support themselves on the labors of others rather than through their own exertions.