Sappho
630 BCE – 570 BCE Greek poet
The lyric poet of Lesbos whose intense personal verse set a standard for love poetry.
- Religion
- Greek polytheism; her verse invokes Aphrodite with unusual intimacy.
- Affiliations
- Led a circle of young women on Lesbos. No secret society; the details of her life are thin.
Sappho wrote in the first person about desire, longing, and beauty with a directness that was new. Ancient readers ranked her among the greatest poets and called her the tenth Muse. Only fragments survive, yet they still shape how the West writes about love.