Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 3.11.1

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Super aetate Homeri atque Hesiodi non consentitur. Alii Homerum quam Hesiodum maiorem natu fuisse scripserunt, in quis Philochorus FGrHist 328 F 210 et Xenophanes 11 B 13 D.-K., alii minorem, in quis L. Accius fr. 1 Funaioli= p. 578 Warmington poeta et Ephorus FGrHist 70 F 101 historiae scriptor. M. autem Varro fr. 68 Funaioli in primo de imaginibus, uter prior sit natus, parum constare dicit, sed non esse dubium, quin aliquo tempore eodem vixerint, idque ex epigrammate ostendi, quod in tripode scriptum est, qui in monte Helicone ab Hesiodo fr. 357 Merkelbach-West positus traditur.

Concerning the age of Homer and Hesiod, there is no consensus. Some have written that Homer was older than Hesiod, amongst whom are Philochorus and Xenophanes, others that he is younger, including the poet Lucius Accius and the historian Ephorus. Marcus Varro, in the first book of his Portraits, says that it is not clear who was born first, but that there is no doubt that they overlapped for some time, and that this is shown by the epigram which is written on the tripod said to have been set up by Hesiod on Mount Helicon.

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