Nonnus

Nonnus of Panopolis (Ancient Greek: Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, Nónnos ho Panopolítēs, fl.

It is known that he was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in Upper Egypt from his naming in manuscripts and the reference in epigram 9.198 of the Palatine Anthology.

[6] It has 20,426 lines composed in Homeric Greek and dactylic hexameters, the main subject of which is the life of Dionysus, his expedition to India, and his triumphant return.

His versification invites attention: writing in hexameters he uses a higher proportion of dactyls and less elision than earlier poets; this plus his subtle use of alliteration and assonance gives his verse a unique musicality.

[7][8] The terminus post quem for its composition is the commentary on the Gospel of John written by Cyril of Alexandria (i.e. 425–428), since the theological layer of Nonnus' Paraphrase is clearly dependent on it.