Philetas of Cos was a greek poet who lived between his birth (circa 330 BC) and his death (circa 270 BC). Although little of his work survives today, his influence has, inspiring at least Propertius and Ovid in their poems.
Philetas is thought to have been tutor to Ptolemy II. His most important poem was apparently the "Demeter", but he also compiled a dictionary of rare words.
He is believed to have met his death after overlong contemplation of the Liar Paradox, being so taken with this problem, that he neglected sleeping and eating, wasting away, until eventually he died. His gravestone read:
O Stranger: Philetas of Cos am I,
'Twas the Liar who made me die,
And the bad nights caused thereby.