Poet · 630 BC – 570 BC
Sappho
Composed lyric poetry of such acclaim that ancient critics called her the "Tenth Muse", pioneering the expression of personal emotion in verse despite the loss of nearly all her work.
Major Works
- Ode to Aphrodite
- Fragment 31 ('He seems to me equal to the gods')
Impact Analysis
Sappho made the private, personal emotion of the individual a fitting subject for great poetry, founding a lyric tradition that runs through all of Western verse.
Historical influence score: 78/100
Accomplishments for Sappho are being compiled.