This volume is devoted to Hellenistic poetry in the context of the contemporary world of third century Alexandria and beyond. This topic fits in with the increasing interest in the role of literature in ancient society in recent research, which has already been applied successfully to various aspects of Hellenistic poetry. The subject also has an added interest because for a long time there has been a tendency to regard this kind of poetry as art for art's sake, a kind of autonomous poetry and display of virtuosity among scholar-poets, who indulged in being as sophisticated as possible without being in touch with the real world. This view has been rightly challenged in recent years and the articles in this volume reflect this new approach, as the authors investigate the ways in which Hellenistic poetry, played a part in its social and cultural context.