Genetic concepts in Greek literature from the eighth to the fourth century B.C.

Abstract

A review of the concepts of genetics found in epic, historical and dramatic ancient Greek writings from the eighth to the fourth centuries B.C., is presented. The derived data suggest that the development of genetical concepts and ideas started with the praise of the heroes' divine or noble origin in Homer's epic poems (eighth century B.C.). It continued in the tracing of the descent and vicissitudes of the families of the Greek gods and the common ancestry of the Greek tribes as described in Hesiod's genealogical poems (around 700 B.C.), in the statement of descent and dual parenthood of leaders and kings in the books of Herodotus and Xenophon (fifth and fourth centuries B.C.), and in the concern about the lineage of the tragic figures in Greek drama (fifth century B.C.). The genetical concepts expressed in these writings most probably reflected popular notions of that time. They must, therefore, have been the basis of the perceptions and theories on heredity and procreation expressed by the ancient physicians and philosophers in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., which in turn influenced the development of genetics for many centuries.