Thomas Nelson

My research focuses on the poetics and politics of Greek poetry from the archaic period to the Hellenistic world. I’m particularly interested in rethinking traditional narratives of literary history, an aspiration which is reflected in the two main strands of my current research: first, I explore the (dis)continuities between the intertextual practices of archaic/classical poets and those of later literary cultures; and second, I aim to unearth the distinctive aesthetics and priorities of Hellenistic poets located beyond Ptolemaic Alexandria. I’ve recently completed a book on Markers of Allusion in Archaic Greek Poetry (Cambridge University Press, 2023), and I am now working on Hellenistic epic fragments. I'm also co-editing three volumes, the first on collaboration and ancient literature, the second on the relationship of Pergamon and Rome, and the third on Hellenistic aesthetics. ​I teach a wide variety of classical subjects across Greek and Latin Languages and Literature. For more information on my research, publications and teaching, please see my website.