Neoteroi is Greek for "new poets", referring to styles like avant-garde.

In the Hellenistic Period (323 BC onwards), the Neoteroi propagated a new style of Greek poetry, deliberately turning away from the classical epic poetry in the tradition of Homer. The most famous of these were Callimachus, the author of many epigrams, and Theocritus, a bucolic poet from Sicily.

Their poems no longer described the feats of ancient heroes and gods but concentrated on small-scale personal themes. Although these poems sometimes seem quite superficial and their subject often are mere everyday concerns, they nevertheless are accomplished works of art.