Modern knowledge of ancient Greek epigrams is largely based on works surviving in multi-author anthologies. The earliest known dateable anthology of epigrams is the Attic Epigrams collected by Philochorus in the late fourth century BC. This, and the second-century collection of Theban epigrams collected by Aristodemus of Thebes, were collected on a geographical basis, and were perhaps largely or entirely made up of epigrams found in local inscriptions;^[1] later collections were instead arranged by author or subject.^[2]

Known anthologies include:

• Attic Epigrams by Philochorus, late fourth century BC^[3]
• Soros, 3rd century BC, collection in which there were epigrams of Posidippus of Pella^[4]
• On the inscriptions to be found in cities, of Polemon of Athens, 2nd century BC^[3]
• Theban Epigrams (Θηβαϊκὰ ἐπιγράμματα) of Aristodemus of Thebes: second century BC; contained multiple books and included commentary^[3]
• Peri epigrammaton (Περὶ ἐπιγραμμάτων, "About epigrams") of Neoptolemus of Paros^[5]
• Garland of Meleagros (Στέφανος τοῦ Μελεάγρου), of Meleager of Gadara, about 90–80 BC. Meleager's introductory poem names 47 poets; works by other authors are known to have been included. About 4,000 lines from this collection are included in the Palatine Anthology.^[6]
• Garland of Philippus (Στέφανος τοῦ Φιλίππου τοῦ Θεσσαλονικέως), by Philippus of Thessalonica, mid-1st century AD.^[7]
• Diogenianus, ἐπιγραμμάτωνἈνθολόγιον mentioned by the Suda. Diogenianus worked during the reign of Hadrian, and the collection perhaps contained epigrams from the first and second centuries AD.^[8]
• Musa Puerilis (Μοῦσα Παιδική), anthology of Straton of Sardis, 2nd century, with pederastic content^[9]
• The Sylloge of Palladas, 6th century collection of epigrams and epic fragments^[10]
• Cycle of Agathias, second half of sixth century AD. Seven books of epigrams by Agathias and his contemporaries.^[11]
• Sylloge Parisina: 13th century manuscript of 114 epigrams, derived from Cephalas' anthology.^[12] The source of this manuscript may be an early abridgement of Cephalas' anthology, predating the Palatine Anthology.^[13]
• Sylloge Euphemiana (about 890)^[14]
• Syllogae minores, a series of smaller collections from various sources, among which are Sylloge Parisina and Sylloge Euphemiana already mentioned above
• Anthology of Cephalas – compiled by Constantine Cephalas in the last decades of the ninth century; most important sources include the Garlands of Meleager and Philip, the Anthology of Diogenian, the Sylloge of Pallada and the Cycle of Agathias^[15]
• Palatine Anthology (Anthologia Palatina) – Byzantine anthology completed after 944, mostly a copy of Cephalas' anthology alongside other collections of epigrams and some longer poems.^[16]
• Anthology of Planudes (Anthologia Graeca Planudea) Maximus Planudes, completed between 1299 and 1301, based on two manuscript copies of the anthology of Cephalas.^[17]
• Greek Anthology (Anthologia Graeca): Term currently used for the collection of epigrams and poems of the Palatine and the Planudean Anthologies,^[18] as well as from other sources^[19]