Nonnus (5th century AD) was a Greek epic poet. He was born in Panopolis, Egypt, his name is Egyptian and means pure, holy. He is the composer of the greatest epic of antiquity. Its title is "Dionysiaca" and consists of 21,000 verses, which are included in 48 books (rhapsodies) and resemble the same number of tragedies of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined. The content of this voluminous work refers to the adventures of Dionysus (hence the title) from his birth to his deification.
In its long introduction, the poet speaks of Zeus' love for Europa, Cadmus and the adventures of his family, Zagreus, the flood that devastated the earth, many other myths, and reaches the birth of Bacchus, describing his victorious adventures, miracles, and dangers that he and his retinue faced in many countries of the earth.
The poet has exceptional imagination and knows how to use Hellenistic texts and present them very skillfully. By especially introducing characters with secondary significance, he creates conditions for truly small poetic masterpieces that provoke particular interest, such as: Chalcis, Gyraeus, Harmony, Ampelos, etc.
Nonnus, with this work, influenced his contemporaries, as evidenced by the fact that he was imitated by some other poets of the 5th century AD, such as Tryphiodorus, Coluthus, Musaeus, etc., and left his mark on the cultural identity of his era.