The Development of the Epyllion Genre Through the Hellenistic and Roman Periods

The epyllion as a genre was developed in the Hellenistic period (and continued into Roman times) in order to show what else was happening while traditional heroic stories, always narrated in epics with particular conventions, were happening. The epyllion challenges these conventions in ways that make it a genre in its own right. This study examines its development through the Hellenistic and Roman periods, focusing on unheroic and female characters.