Sappho, Alcaeus, and Pindar were significant lyric poets throughout the early development of the Greek poetic tradition. Aeschylus is the first Greek tragic playwright whose whole works have survived. Sophocles is well known for his Oedipus tragedies, notably Oedipus the King and Antigone. His other plays include Ajax, Philoctetes, and The Trachiniae. Euripides was a prominent Athenian dramatist who lived in the fifth century BC. His works include Iphigenia at Aulis, Medea, and Hippolytus. Greek literature began as oral poetry. First-time readers didn't have the ability to capture what they heard or saw with their hand writing. So, they made notes on papyrus or parchment that could be folded or rolled up and carried around with them. These were then collected into books when they were donated to museums or libraries. Many important texts were written in this way including the New Testament. Classical writers often borrowed from each other's work, so it isn't surprising that many similarities can be found between different authors' treatments of similar themes or characters. However, despite these similarities, each writer brought something new to the table that helped define Greek culture. Alcaeus is remembered for his songs to Sappho. He was probably born around 700 BC and died in 580 BC.