Love Letters

Another popular genre that arose during this period was the love letter. Unlike today's love letters, written privately between a man and woman deeply in love with each other, these letters were fictitious and written for private consumption. Many of the letters would have all the elements of a normal letter, but the intended recipient did not even exist.

One of the most prolific authors of these letters is Alciphron. While many of the letters presumably do not exist today, we have 118 existing letters that are accredited to him.

Eros riding a dolphin from the Ephesus Museum

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