Archilochus was an ancient Greek satyrist, poet, and mercenary who lived circa 450 BCE. Very little of his poetry has survived, most of what did are just fragments. His poetry is shockingly lewd, most of them containing references to sexual acts or organs. Other poems of his glorify such acts as running away from a battle, or standing drunk on your spear. Unlike many writers for years to come, he was not of noble class. When his future father-in-law later withdrew his proposal to let Archilochus marry his daughter, Archilochus wrote such a scathing series of poems that the man killed himself along with his entire immediate family so as to avoid public disgrace. Archilochus worked as a mercenary in several campaigns, which heavily influenced his poetry. One of his best poems is about how he ran from a battlefield, dropping his shield in the process. Archilochus is most widely known as the father of satire.