The works of Alcaeus, the countryman and contemporary of Sappho, have survived even less well than her works. Unlike Sappho's verse, however, nearly half of his surviving work touches on the politics of his home, often heaping abuse on his enemies. Other than that, there is little else certain to say about his life.

Alcaeus also writes in the Lesbian Aeolic dialect. In the commentaries I'll note the Ionic or Attic forms when necessary.