The past sets the context for the present. Preserving the legacy of musical and poetic tradition in the Hellenistic period

This contribution examines musical and poetic tradition, in so far as it influenced the culture and society of the Hellenistic period. Epigraphy attests to the recollection of traditional heritage as one driving force for public-at-large performances. Extra-agonistic and agonistic performances pursued by the so-called poeti vaganti, travelling all over the cultural centres of Greece chasing fame and rewards, attest to different ways to preserve the legacy of musical and poetic tradition, by lingering on it or re-modulating its facies. Re-performing ancient times, through selections of dramas and lyric poetry, and demonstrating the musical structures and poetic ways of former days, had the purpose of strengthening social identity and reinvigorating communal knowledge. Inscriptions allow us to envisage the nuances and potentialities of these thoughtful revivals, highlighting the ways this concept could shift with time, context, and place.