Theocritus was an ancient Greek poet and one of the most important figures of the Hellenistic period. Very little is known about his life, mainly through information derived from his own works. It is believed that he was born in Syracuse around 315 BC and lived in Cos and Alexandria until approximately 260 BC.
Thirty of his poems have survived and were collected under the general title *Idylls*. Their themes are based on pastoral life or contain epic, mythological, and love elements. Theocritus is regarded as the founder of pastoral poetry and influenced numerous poets and writers in the centuries that followed.
