Greek poet, born in Alexandria in 295 BC. He was chief librarian to Ptolemy II and/or Ptolemy III, and he also wrote literary works on older poetry. His lost poems included various Ktiseis, i.e. myths about the founding of cities. His best known work is the narrative epic Argonautica, which tells the story of Jason and the Argonauts in 4 books and 5.835 dactylic hexameters. Building on Homeric linguistic tradition, the Argonautica succeeds in linking the mythological heritage with the concerns and aesthetic of the Hellenistic era.