Some of the oldest examples of ancient Greek literature are epic poems, such as <em>The Iliad</em>, by Homer, which recounts some of the battles and events of the Trojan War fought between the citizens of Troy and the Greeks. Lyric poems are also early examples of ancient Greek literature. Some of these poems were sung by a choir, and others were recited by a single author. They revolved around the themes of love, friendship, hardships, the brevity of life, and so on. Sappho is one of the most well-known authors. Other genres were tragedies, comedies and satyr plays. The tragedies covered topics such as human suffering and human fate, whereas the main protagonist of the comedies was usually a local hero, who mocked the old warriors. Greek authors also wrote novels and fables.
As per the historians, they wrote, for the most part, about contemporary Greek history, creating chronicles on political, military, social and economy issues, geography, biographies, and description of places, among others, although they were not always rigurous.
