The book sets out the history of the most important types of ancient poetry - epic, lyrics, drama - in their most expressive, classical models (VIII - IV centuries BC in Greece, II century BC - I century AD in Rome). Typical examples show the development of some prose genres of the Hellenistic era and the Roman Empire, in which classical models were used and rethought. The purpose of the book is to give a coherent, expressive, understandable, visible and modern presentation that can attract the reader's interest in ancient literature. The book is intended as a manual for arts students who are not specialists in antiquity; it can be useful to everyone who is interested in ancient literature.