Ioannes Tzetzes
Ioannes Tzetzes
Born 1110; died 1185. Byzantine writer.
Ioannes Tzetzes wrote narrative poems in hexameter on Homeric themes as well as a short drama whose characters are a sage (the author himself) who grieves over the lamentable position of scholars, and a peasant, a chorus, and the Muses. He also wrote treatises on metrics and grammar and commentaries on the ancient Greek poets and philosophers. His principal work, The Book of Stories, is a valuable source of information on history, literature, and mythology.