There were no doubt many notable women in ancient Greece, but history books are usually silent on female accomplishments. According to the historian and novelist Helena P. Schrader, this is because, Herodotus and other ancient Greek historians are far more likely to mention Persian queens than the wives of Greeks – not because Persian women were more powerful than their Greek counterparts, but because Persians had several wives, and so it was sometimes useful to record by which of them a certain Persian figure had been born. Since Greeks had only one legitimate wife, there was no need for such clarification when it came to prominent Greek citizens”.

Every so often, however, certain women performed deeds that the male writers of history simply could not ignore. Women such as Queen Gorgo of Sparta (c. 490 BC) and Aspasia of Athens (470-400 BC) have always been well known for their own achievements and for their association with famous men like Leonidas and Pericles, but there were many more who led interesting lives and performed heroic acts and who remain lesser known in the modern day.

Hydna of Scione was trained to swim by her father, Scyllis of Scione, a diving instructor and expert swimmer who taught the art of swimming for a living. He instructed his daughter from a young age, and she became well known for her ability to dive deeply and swim long distances. When the Persians invaded Greece in 480 BC, they sacked Athens and marched across the mainland after defeating the Greeks at Thermopylae. The Persian navy then sought to destroy the rest of the Greek force in the naval battle at Salamis. If the Persians won at Salamis, Greece would be lost. Hydna and her father dove beneath the Persian ships and cut their moorings, causing these ships to drift and run aground or damage other vessels. This feat is even more impressive when one considers that, in order to perform it, Hydna and Scyllis had to swim ten miles into the sea in the middle of a storm. Their story comes from the Greek historian Pausanius in his Description of Greece, and he further relates that, for their heroism, statues of them were erected at Delphi, (the most sacred site of the ancient Greek world) following the Persian defeat.

Anyte of Tegea (3rd century BC) was one of the female poets listed by Antipater of Thessalonica as one of the Nine Earthly Muses (with others such as Sappho of Lesbos and Telesilla of Argos). Anyte was among the first poets of Greece to emphasize the natural world in her work (as opposed to supernatural subjects such as the gods) and to write the epigram. She was best known for her epitaphs, especially those for animals. These were not her only artistic contributions, however, and her poetry was so impressive that it was compared in ancient Greece to the works of Homer. Her epitaphs for pets were very popular, and she was much sought after to write them.
Anyte’s works survive in the present day than any other female Greek poet and are still admired as they were by her contemporaries. She is thought to have run a school for the study of poetry in the Peloponnesus though the exact location is unknown. Anyte was later attached to a legend in which it was said she once had a dream that the god of healing, Asclepius, told her to deliver a message to a man named Phalysius who was going blind. She woke and found a sealed writing tablet she had never seen before resting by her bed and, at her own expense, travelled a significant distance to deliver it to Phalysius. His eyes were healed, and when he opened the message, it instructed him to give Anyte 2,000 gold coins, which he promptly did. Whether there was any truth to the story is not as important as the message it would have imparted to its hearers: when the gods tell one to do something, one should do it.

 

Telesilla of Argos

Of the poets listed with Anyte in Antipater’s list of earthly muses is Telesilla of Argos (5th century BC) who, though famous for her poetry, became more so for defending her home city against the invading Spartans in 494/493 BC. After Cleomenes I of Sparta decimated the Argive forces at Sepeia and, later, at the Sanctuary of Argus, he marched on the city of Argos. Telesilla took down the ornamental arms from temples in the city, raided the armoury for whatever was left, and equipped a force of the city’s women with arms and armour. She then organized the city for defence and marched out to meet the Spartans, inflicting heavy losses. Cleomenes recognized that he was facing an impossible situation: if he defeated her, he would have no honour in slaughtering women, while if they defeated him, Sparta would have been beaten by a band of girls, so he prudently withdrew his army and Argos was saved. Modern-day historians still debate the truth of this account, but it was repeated by many ancient sources and is considered entirely plausible by a number of scholars today.

Phryne of Thespiae (c. 370-c. 316 BC) was a famous courtesan of Athens, best known for the court case she won by baring her breasts. Her actual name was Mnesarete (“commemorating virtue”), but she was called Phryne (“toad”) because of the yellow complexion of her skin. Ancient writers such as Athenaeus praise her extraordinary beauty, and she was the model for many artists and sculptors in Athens, including chiefly posing as Aphrodite (the existing statue, Aphrodite of Knidos, is thought to be modelled on her). The court case surrounded the charge of impiety, and it has been suggested that, whatever Phryne did, it had something to do with the Eleusinian Mysteries (initiation rites for the cult of Demeter and Persephone). It could be, like Alcibiades, that she had taken the sacred Kykeon (potentially psychoactive drink) for a private party with friends, but this is only conjecture (though, it seems, not out of character). Her lover Hypereides, a famous orator, defended her in court and spoke eloquently, but it seemed as though the judges were going to condemn her. At this point Hypereides disrobed Phryne, and the judges were so struck by her beauty that she was acquitted. The truth of this story, like that of Telesilla’s defence of Argos, has been debated for centuries. Some claim that the earliest account of the trial makes no mention of Phryne disrobing and that it was a later invention created to mock the Athenian court; some claim that it was Phryne herself, not Hypereides, who removed her clothes and that she also undid her hair to show herself in the likeness of Aphrodite. Whatever happened, she was acquitted and went on living a life of luxury as one of the most beautiful and sought-after women of Athens. She became wealthy enough to live as she pleased and even offered to re-build the walls of Thebes, which Alexander the Great had destroyed, if the people would consent to her inscription reading, “Destroyed by Alexander, Restored by Phryne the Courtesan”, but the Thebans refused her offer.

Arete of Cyrene (4th century BC) was the daughter of the hedonist philosopher Aristippus (c. 435-356 BC) and grew up influenced by his teachings. There is some dispute among historians as to whether it was Aristippus or his grandson of the same name who founded the Cyrenaic School but, since ancient sources claim that Arete took over the school upon Aristippus’ death, it would appear to be the former. Like her father, she is said to have held to the philosophy of “I possess, I am not possessed”, by which she meant that one could have as many worldly goods as one wished as long as one’s life was not controlled by those possessions. One could, for example, have a house and many beautiful objects furnishing and adorning it, but one should recognize such things as possessions which, perhaps, once belonged to another before and will certainly belong to someone else after one’s death or change in circumstance. One should, therefore, pursue pleasure and enjoy the things of this world without allowing those things to control one’s life and freedom of movement. Arete of Cyrene is said to have written over 40 books, none of which survive in the present day. She also appears to have been a single mother who raised Aristippus-the -Younger in the hedonistic philosophy and home schooled him. He would later take over the operation of the Cyrenaic School after Arete’s death.

Hipparchia of Maroneia (325 BC) was another female philosopher whose austere life and teachings stood in complete contrast to the hedonism of Arete of Cyrene. Hipparchia came to Athens as a teenager with her family and fell in love with the Cynic philosopher Crates of Thebes who lived there. Her brother, Metrocles, was one of Crates’ students and introduced them. Hipparchia was drawn to the simplicity of the Cynic lifestyle, which emphasized complete honesty, independence, rejection of luxury and pleasure, and living life in accordance with nature. Hipparchia became so deeply attached to Crates himself that she rejected the suitors her parents encouraged and said that she would either marry Crates or kill herself. Crates was, at this time, an elderly man, and her parents asked him to convince Hipparchia to marry someone her own age and live a more traditional life. Crates is said to have disrobed before Hipparchia and said to her, “Here is the bridegroom and these are his possessions – choose accordingly”, which only made Hipparchia love him more. They consummated the marriage in public on the porch of a building in downtown Athens. This was in keeping with the Cynic philosophy that one should shamelessly do in public what one does in private because, if there is nothing wrong with what one is doing, there should be no shame in performing the action in front of others. She wore men’s clothes and travelled and taught with Crates, bearing him two children. When he died, she may have taken over teaching his students in Athens and was said to have written a number of books, which are no longer extant. She is the only female philosopher included at length in Diogenes Laertius’ work The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers (3rd century BC) alongside men like Socrates and Plato.

Timycha of Sparta (4th century BC) was yet another female philosopher who travelled with her husband, Myllias of Croton, and a band of Pythagoreans. She became a symbol of courage in the face of adversity. The philosophy of Pythagoras emphasized the immortality of the soul and the sacredness of life and so Pythagoreans were strict vegetarians but were prohibited from eating beans. The precise reason for this is unclear, but it is thought that perhaps they believed that the shape of the bean, especially the fava bean, served as a conduit for souls to return to earth. Reincarnation (known to them as the Transmigration of Souls) was a fundamental belief of the Pythagoreans, and it was thought that the souls of the living came back from the underworld through the earth and, especially, through bean fields. This knowledge, like most of Pythagoras’ teachings, was reserved only for those who were initiated into the mysteries and was not to be revealed to just anyone. One day, Timycha (who was six-months pregnant at the time) and her band of philosophers were invited to the court of Dionysius the Elder to discuss their philosophy but, following the tenets of their belief, they rejected the tyrant’s invitation because they did not believe he was true in his intentions. Dionysius, insulted, sent some of his soldiers to bring them forcibly to the court. The philosophers could have easily escaped by running through a nearby bean field but, because of their religious beliefs, they could not do this and so were all killed resisting the soldiers except for Timycha and Myllias. These two were captured and brought before Dionysius. He was intrigued when he heard they refused to enter the bean field to escape and questioned Timycha repeatedly. When she would not answer him, he had her tortured and then brought back to him where she is said to have bitten off her tongue and spat it out at his feet in defiance. What happened to her and Myllias after that incident is not known, but they were most likely executed. She was referenced by later Pythagoreans as a model of courage and martyr for the cause.

Gorgo of Sparta was the queen of the Greek city-state of Sparta, daughter of the king Cleomenes (reigned 520-490 BC), wife of King Leonidas (reigned 490-480 BC), and mother of King Pleistarchus (reigned 480-458 BC). Her birth and death dates are unknown but it is generally believed, based on inferences from Herodotus that she was born in either 518 or 508 BC was already married to King Leonidas by 490 BC, and survived his death at Thermopylae in 480 BC. She was most likely still alive during the reign of her son Pleistarchus, but for how long and what role she played at his court is not known. She is a figure of note for her wisdom, cleverness, and the apparent authority she assumed in the lives of those around her. Both her father and her husband listened to her counsel, and she is one of the few women mentioned by Herodotus in his Histories.
A number of anecdotes have been attributed to her, which evidence a strong and intelligent woman. Once, when she was visiting Athens, a woman asked her why it seemed only Spartan women could control their men. She answered, “Because only Spartan women give birth to men”, meaning that only Sparta produced real men. That she was free enough in her life to travel to Athens with Leonidas, and apparently take part in his official business in the city, is testimony to the freedom of Spartan women in general and Gorgo’s status specifically. After Leonidas’ death, Pleistarchus became the king of Sparta and Gorgo vanishes from the historical record.
Gorgo continues to be regarded as one of the most clever and influential women in ancient history, not only as the wife of Leonidas but for her own contributions. She was featured in the film The 300 Spartans (1962) and in the films 300 (2006) and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014).

There are many other impressive women of interest in the ancient histories of Greece who are also mentioned by the writers of their time. Some were able to rise above the restrictions society placed upon women (as in the case of Arete or Telesilla) and others were able to work within the system to live as they wanted to (such as Phryne and Thargelia). Although the ancient historians chose not to dwell on the accomplishments of women, these women had such an impact on their society that there was no way they could be ignored.

Source: Joshua J. Mark, www.ancient.eu and en.wikipedia.org

Image: www.starace.com

 

 

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