Sappho Sings of Artemis: fragment 44a

***Help make LGBT Meets SPQR better! If you can create a metrically accurate translation of this poem in Latin, we would gladly publish it on this blog!*** 

…Phoebo flavicomo*, quem peperit Coei filia [Latona]

Dum miscuit cum filio Saturni noto [Jove].

Diana autem deum sacramentum maximum fecit;

“Per tibi numen, [Pater hominum et deum],

Virgo in aeternum permaneo,

Venatrix per montes desolatos errabo.

Des hoc, pater, mihi optem!”

Hoc dicto, annuit deum pater.

Mortales immortalesque hanc vocant

Virginem, cervos-venatrix, deam.

Amor, ne hanc aggrediaris!

Φοίβῳ χρυσοκό[μ̣ᾳ, τὸν ἔτικτε Κόω κ̣[όρα

μίγεισ’ ὐψινέφει Κρ]ονίδᾳ μεγαλωνύμῳ·

Ἄρτεμις δὲ θέων] μέγαν ὄρκον ἀπώμοσε·

‘νὴ τὰν σὰν κεφά]λαν, ἄϊ πάρθενος ἔσσομαι

ἄδμης οἰοπό]λ̣ων ὀρέων κορύφα̣ι̣σ’ ἔπι

θηρεύοισ’· ἄγι καὶ τά]δ̣ε νεῦσον ἔμαν χάριν.’

ὢς εἶπ’· αὐτὰρ ἔνευ]σ̣ε θέων μακάρων πάτηρ.

πάρθενον δ’ ἐλαφάβ]ολον ἀγροτέραν θέο̣ι

ἄνθρωποί τε κάλε]ι̣σιν ἐπωνύμιον μέγα.

κήνᾳ λυσιμέλης] Ἔρος οὐδάμα πίλναται

* this fragment starts with a noun in the dative case. The noun is missing

--Sappho, Fragment 44a, Translated into Latin by Kris Masters

…for blonde Apollo, whom Leto bore

When she slept with the great-renowned Zeus.

But Artemis swore a serious oath:

‘Upon your head, I vow

That I will always remain a maiden,

Hunting on the desolate mountains

I will roam. Grant this to me.”

So she spoke. Zeus granted her wish.

Now men and gods alike call her Maiden, Hunter of Deer, Goddess.

Eros, stay far from her!

SAPPHO	MAP:
Name:  Σαπφώ / Sappho Date:  630 – 570 BCE Works:  <lost: only fragments remain>	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Sappho was universally applauded by the ancient world as the “Tenth Muse.” Because she was one of the earliest Greek lyric poets, there is very little definitive information on Sappho’s life.  It is generally agreed that Sappho was a wealthy noblewoman from the island of Lesbos who had three brothers and a daughter named Kleis. She used her prominent social position to support a cohort of other women artists, and composed many poems about them, expressing her love for them, praising their beauty, and celebrating their marriages. Whereas earlier Greek poetry was epic poetry with serious themes of gods, warfare, and the state, Sappho’s lyric poetry is emotional, intimate and personal. Her poetry centers around womanhood and womanly love, providing rare insight into social mores of the time period. The modern term “lesbian” (a woman who is attracted to another woman) reveals the longevity of her impact upon western culture [NOTE: Although “lesbian” is the accepted term in modern English, authors in the ancient world used a different word for a homosexual woman, and only occasionally used the term “lesbian” euphemistically]. Unfortunately, although her poetry was universally revered by the Greeks and Romans alike, Sappho’s works only exist as fragments, adding mysterious allure to her larger-than-life status but unfortunately hindering our understanding of her life and thoughts.	ARCHAIC GREEK

Not a Lord, But a Lady: Elegabalus / Bassiana, Cassius Dio, Roman History 80.16.3-5

Quem ut ille conspexit, exiliit gestu modulato: quumque ab eo salutaretur, ut par erat, "Domine Imperator salve," ipse mirum & mulibrem in modum cervice inflexa, oculisque intortis, nil cunctatus respondit: "Ne me Dominum voces, Domina enim ego sum."

καὶ ὃς ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀνέθορέ τε ἐρρυθμισμένως, καὶ προσειπόντα, οἷα εἰκὸς ἦν, ‘κύριε αὐτοκράτορ χαῖρε,’ θαυμαστῶς τόν τε αὐχένα γυναικίσας καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπεγκλάσας ἠμείψατο, καὶ ἔφη οὐδὲν διστάσας  ‘μή με λέγε κύριον: ἐγὼ γὰρ κυρία εἰμί.’

--Cassius Dio, Roman History, 80.16.3-5; Translated into Latin by Hermann Samuel Reimarus, 1753

When Elagabalus / Bassiana saw Zoticus, she leapt up gracefully, and when he greeted her, saying “Greetings, Emperor,” she shook her head and flashed him a smile, replying, “Don’t call me ‘lord,’ for I am a lady.”

CASSIUS DIO

MAP:

Name:  Lucius Cassius Dio

Date:  155 – 235 CE

Works:  Roman History*

 

REGION  5

BIO:

Timeline:

 Cassius Dio was a Roman statesman born in Nicaea, Bithynia who wrote an 80 volume work on Roman history that spanned from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the rise of the emperor Severus Alexander. Although much of his history is lost, the fragments that we do have show rare insight into the Roman world.

 ROMAN GREECE

Hierocles, Husband to an Empress, Cassius Dio, Roman History, 80.15.1-3

Content Warning: Homophobic Slur, Slavery

It is important to note that, like the Hadrian/Antinous, Domitian/Earinus, Caracalla/Festus, Nero/Sporus and other Imperial couples, the disparity in social classes between the two lovers may negate the consent of the relationship and should not be romanticized in modern times. 

ὁ δὲ δὴ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς Ἱεροκλῆς ἦν, Καρικὸν ἀνδράποδον, Γορδίου ποτὲ παιδικὰ γενόμενον, παρ᾽ οὗ καὶ ἁρματηλατεῖν ἔμαθεν. κἀκ τούτου καὶ παραδοξότατα αὐτῷ ἠρέσθη. ἐν γάρ τοι ἱπποδρομίᾳ τινὶ ἐκπεσὼν τοῦ ἅρματος κατ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ Σαρδαναπάλλου* ἕδραν τό τε κράνος ἐν τῇ πτώσει ἀπέρριψε, καὶ ἐκφανεὶς αὐτῷ ῾λειογένειος δ᾽ ἔτι ἦν καὶ κόμῃ ξανθῇ ἐκεκόσμητὀ ἀνηρπάσθη τε εὐθὺς ἐς τὸ παλάτιον, κἀν τοῖς νυκτερινοῖς ἔργοις ἔτι καὶ μᾶλλον ἑλὼν αὐτὸν ὑπερηυξήθη, ὥστε καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἰσχῦσαι, καὶ βραχύ τι νομισθῆναι τὸ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἔτι δούλην οὖσαν ἔς τε τὴν Ῥώμην ὑπὸ στρατιωτῶν ἀχθῆναι κἀν ταῖς τῶν ὑπατευκότων γυναιξὶ συναριθμηθῆναι.

Erat vero vir eius, Hierocles quidam, Caricum mancipium, [qui Gordio quondam in deliciis fuerat,] a quo currus etiam agitare didicerat: qua occasione Imperatior, praeter exspectationem, placere coepit. Quum enim aliquando ludis Circensibus, e curru, ante Sardanapali* sellam, decidisset, inque eo casu galeam proiecisset; aperto capite conspectus ab illo, (imberbis autem adhuc & flava ornatus coma erat), statim raptus est in Palatium; & quum nocturnis flagitiis magis etiam cepisset Imperatorem, ita potentia auctus est, ut illo ipso plus posset; ac parum esse videretur, quod mater eius, servili adhuc conditione a militibus deduta in urbem, Consularium relata sit in numerum matronarum.

--Cassius Dio, Roman History, 80.15.1-3; Translated into Latin by Hermann Samuel Reimarus, 1753

[Elegabalus’ / Bassiana’s] husband was the Carian slave Hierocles, who had been Gordian’s concubine; he learned how to drive a chariot during this relationship. This skill is how the Emperor Elegabalus / Bassiana met him, for while Hierocles was racing, he happened to fall out of his chariot right in front of the Emperor’s seat. He lost his helmet in the fall; the sight of the baby-faced blond youth captivated the emperor, and so Hierocles was snatched up and immediately sent to the Palace. Hierocles’ romantic skills captivated the Emperor even more, and his clout rose to such prominence that, even though his mother was a slave, she was brought to Rome under military escort, where she was awarded the rank of Consular Mother.

 * Sardanapalus was a mythical Assyrian king known for his extravagance and gender-bending lifestyle

CASSIUS DIO	MAP:
Name:  Lucius Cassius Dio Date:  155 – 235 CE Works:  Roman History*	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Cassius Dio was a Roman statesman born in Nicaea, Bithynia who wrote an 80 volume work on Roman history that spanned from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the rise of the emperor Severus Alexander. Although much of his history is lost, the fragments that we do have show rare insight into the Roman world.	ROMAN GREECE

 

The Emperor's Gender: Cassius Dio on Elegabalus, Roman History 80.14.3-4

Et in iure quidem reddendo, aliquatenus vir esse videbatur; in aliis tamen rebus, & opere & modulatione vocis, muliebrem affectabat mollitiem.] Inter alia enim saltabat, non in orchestra solum, verum etiam quodammodo dum incederet, faceret sacrificia, salutaretur, & contionem haberet. Postremo, ut redeam unde digressus sum, nupsit etiam, et uxor et domina et Augusta appellabatur; tractabat lanam, reticulum aliquando gestabat, oculosque sublinebat, cerussaque vultum et anchusa pingebat.   

ὅτι ἐν τῷ δικάζειν τινὰ ἀνήρ πως εἶναι ἐδόκει, ἐν δὲ δὴ τοῖς ἄλλοις τῷ ἔργῳ καὶ τῷ σχήματι τῆς φωνῆς ὡραΐζετο. τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα καὶ ὠρχεῖτο, οὔτι 3 γε ἐν ὀρχήστρᾳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμβαδίζων τρόπον τινὰ καὶ θύων ἀσπαζόμενός τε καὶ δημηγορῶν. καὶ τέλος, ἵν᾽ ἤδη ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς λόγον ἐπανέλθω, καὶ ἐγήματο, γυνή τε καὶ δέσποινα βασιλίς τε ὠνομάζετο, καὶ ἠριούργει, κεκρύφαλόν τε ἔστιν ὅτε ἐφόρει, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐνηλείφετο, ψιμυθίῳ τε καὶ ἐγχούσῃ ἐχρίετο,

 --Cassius Dio, Roman History 80.14.3-4; Translated into Latin by Hermann Samuel Reimarus, 1753 

At court, [Elegabalus / Bassiana] kept their appearance as a man, but everywhere else they kept the appearance and voice of a woman. And they danced all the time in public, not just on stage, but also wherever they walked, when they made sacrifices and when they were holding court. Finally, to circle back to my original point, they got married as a bride, and was called “wife,” “milady,” and “Queen.” They spun wool, wore a veil, wore eyeliner, makeup, and anklets.

CASSIUS DIO	MAP:
Name:  Lucius Cassius Dio Date:  155 – 235 CE Works:  Roman History*	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Cassius Dio was a Roman statesman born in Nicaea, Bithynia who wrote an 80 volume work on Roman history that spanned from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the rise of the emperor Severus Alexander. Although much of his history is lost, the fragments that we do have show rare insight into the Roman world.	ROMAN GREECE

I'm Getting Too Old for This: A Gallus in Retirement, Greek Anthology 6.234

Galli were worshippers of the goddess Cybele who renounced their masculinity by voluntarily undergoing castration. They lived as women, and held a separate legal status from men in ancient Rome. In this poem, the protagonist gallus is dedicating their religious trappings upon their retirement from the fervor of the bacchic rituals.

Gallus capillatus, in iuventute exsectus, de Tmolo

Lydius saltator longum ululas,

accolenti Sangarium haec Matri tympana venerandae

posuit, et flagellum multiiugis-talis-tessellatum,

et haec ex-orichalco garrula cymbala, et fragrantem

cincinnum, furore recens deposito.

Γάλλος ὁ χαιτάεις, ὁ νεήτομος, ὡπὸ Τυμώλου

Λύδιος ὀρχηστὰς μάκρ᾽ ὀλολυζόμενος,

τᾷ παρὰ Σαγγαρίῳ τάδε Ματέρι τύμπαν᾽ ἀγαυᾷ

θήκατο, καὶ μάστιν τὰν πολυαστράγαλον,

ταῦτὰ τ᾽ ὀρειχάλκου λάλα κύμβαλα, καὶ μυρόεντα

βόστρυχον, ἐκ λύσσας ἄρτια παυσάμενος.

--Erycius, Greek Anthology, 6.234; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius

At the end of the rave

A long haired gallus, castrated in my youth,

A dancer on the Lydian shore of the Tmolus River,

Who chanted beautifully,

Now grown older,

dedicates to the revered Bithynian Mother

A tambourine

A whip with many tassels

A set of clanging cymbals made of orichalcum

A fragrant lock of hair.

 

 

<Anonymous>	MAP:
Name:  ???? Date:  Works:  Greek Anthology; Anthologia Graeca; Florilegii Graecii	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10th century CE and one from the 14th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.	Byzantine Greek

The Story of Camilla, Vergil, Aeneid 11.539-584

 pulsus ob invidiam regno virisque superbas

Priverno antiqua Metabus cum excederet urbe,               

infantem fugiens media inter proelia belli

sustulit exsilio comitem, matrisque vocavit

nomine Casmillae mutata parte Camillam.

ipse sinu prae se portans iuga longa petebat

solorum nemorum: tela undique saeva premebant               

et circumfuso volitabant milite Volsci.

ecce fugae medio summis Amasenus abundans

spumabat ripis, tantus se nubibus imber

ruperat. ille innare parans infantis amore

tardatur caroque oneri timet. omnia secum               

versanti subito vix haec sententia sedit:

telum immane manu valida quod forte gerebat

bellator, solidum nodis et robore cocto,

huic natam libro et silvestri subere clausam

implicat atque habilem mediae circumligat hastae;               

quam dextra ingenti librans ita ad aethera fatur:

"alma, tibi hanc, nemorum cultrix, Latonia virgo,

ipse pater famulam voveo; tua prima per auras

tela tenens supplex hostem fugit. accipe, testor,

diva tuam, quae nunc dubiis committitur auris."               

dixit, et adducto contortum hastile lacerto

immittit: sonuere undae, rapidum super amnem

infelix fugit in iaculo stridente Camilla.

at Metabus magna propius iam urgente caterva

dat sese fluvio, atque hastam cum virgine victor               

gramineo, donum Triviae, de caespite vellit.

non illum tectis ullae, non moenibus urbes

accepere (neque ipse manus feritate dedisset),

pastorum et solis exegit montibus aevum.

hic natam in dumis interque horrentia lustra               

armentalis equae mammis et lacte ferino

nutribat teneris immulgens ubera labris.

utque pedum primis infans vestigia plantis

institerat, iaculo palmas armavit acuto

spiculaque ex umero parvae suspendit et arcum.               

pro crinali auro, pro longae tegmine pallae

tigridis exuviae per dorsum a vertice pendent.

tela manu iam tum tenera puerilia torsit

et fundam tereti circum caput egit habena

Strymoniamque gruem aut album deiecit olorem.               

multae illam frustra Tyrrhena per oppida matres

optavere nurum; sola contenta Diana

aeternum telorum et virginitatis amorem

intemerata colit. 

--Vergil, Aeneid 11.539-584

When Metabus was exiled from his kingdom on account of his own arrogant character, he left the ancient city of Priverna. As he was running for his life, he carried an infant as his companion in exile: it was his daughter Camilla, named after her mother Casmilla (with one letter changed).

Carrying her in a sling across his chest, Metabus sought the rolling hills and desolate groves. However, he was beset all around him by savage enemy weapons; the Volsci infested the region, and he was surrounded.

Look! He finds the Amasenus River rolling in front of him, separating him from freedom. And even worse! A thunderstorm broke out.

He prepared to swim across the stream, but he was checked by love for his daughter. He fretted over the precious cargo in his arms.

As he tried to figure out what to do, suddenly inspiration struck. The sturdy spear he happened to carry in his strong warrior’s hand was equally sturdy and aged wood. He tied his daughter to the middle of the spear, balancing it in his immense right hand, and prayed to the heavens,

“Precious Diana, daughter of Latona,

Protector of this sacred grove,

I, a parent, devote my child to you.

My daughter—your pledge—flees the enemy bearing your weapons.

Witness and accept her as an offering; I entrust her to you

Upon the breeze.”

He spoke and sent the spear aloft. Wretched Camilla sped over the swift current of the stream, bound to the whistling spear. Metabus, seeing a troop of pursuers approach, dove into the stream. Once he successfully made it across, he plucked the infant from his spear, and dedicated her to Diana.

No home or city would give him shelter due to his own former cruelty, so he spent the remainder of his life wandering the lonely foothills and shepherds’ paths. He raised his daughter on mare’s milk and other beasts’. When the girl first learned to walk, he gave her a little spear of her own, put a little javelin, bow, and arrow on her shoulders.

There was no refinement in her appearance; she dressed in a tiger’s pelt, and spent her childhood hunting. Already as a child, she could take down cranes and white swans with her weapons.

In vain, many Italian mothers wished she’d become their daughter-in-law, but she was content with Diana alone, unapologetically cherishing her eternal love of hunting and chastity.

VERGIL / VIRGIL	MAP:
Name:  Publius Vergilius Maro Date:  70 BCE – 21 BCE Works:  Aeneid*               Eclogues              Georgics	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Vergil was born in Mantua (Cisalpine Gaul, located in northern Italy) and lived during the tumultuous transition of Roman government from republic to monarchy. His masterpiece, the Aeneid, tells the story of Aeneas’ migration from Troy to Italy; it was used for centuries as the pinnacle of Roman literature.	GOLDEN AGE ROME

I'm Getting To Old For This: A Gallus' Dedication, Greek Anthology 6.51

Galli were worshippers of the goddess Cybele who renounced their masculinity by voluntarily undergoing castration. They lived as women, and held a separate legal status from men in ancient Rome. In this poem, the protagonist gallus is dedicating their religious trappings upon their retirement from the fervor of the bacchic rituals.

μῆτερ ἐμή Ῥείη, Φρυγίων θρέπτειρα λεόντων,

Δίνδυμον ἧς μύσταις οὐκ ἀπάτητον ὄρος,

σοὶ τάδε θῆλυς Ἄλεξις ἑῆς οἰστρήματα λύσσης

ἄνθετο, χαλκοτύπου παυσάμενος μανίης,

κύμβαλά τ᾽ ὀξύφθογγα, βαρυφθόγγων τ᾽ ἀλαλητὸν

αὐλῶν, οὓς μόσχου λοξὸν ἔκαμψε κέρας,

τυμπανά τ᾽ ἠχήεντα, καὶ αἵματι φοινιχθέντα

φάσγανα, καὶ ξανθάς, τὰς πρὶν ἔσεισε, κόμας.

ἵλαος, ὦ δέσποινα, τὸν ἐν νεότητι μανέντα

γηραλέον προτέρης παῦσον ἀγριοσύνης.

O mater mea Tellus, Phrygiorum nutrix leonum,

cuius mystis Dindymus mons non incalcatus,

tibi hos [feminaeus] Alexis sui insaniae-instrumenta furoris

dedicavit, aere-pulso-excitata cessans a-rabie,

cymbala acuti-soni, gravisque vocis iubilum

tibiarum, quas vituli obliquum flexit cornu,

et tympana sonora, et sanguine rubro-infectos

gladios, et fulvas, quas pridem iactavit, comas.

Propitia, o domina, hunc-qui in iuventute furente vir,

senem a priore libera feritate.

--Greek Anthology 6.51; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

O Mother Rhea, she who cherishes lions,

Whose sacred mountain no one has befouled with their feet,

The woman* Alexis dedicates to you

Her fury-rousing instruments

Taking a pause from her bronze symbols

The low resounding flutes,

Which turned the heads of calves,

The resounding drum,

The sword dripping with blood,

And the locks of golden hair that used to adorn my shoulders.

Accept this offering, o Lady, which I reveled in during my youth

And free me now from the same wild abandon in my old age.

* masculine form of the Greek word woman (θῆλυς)

<Anonymous>	MAP:
Name:  ???? Date:  Works:  Greek Anthology; Anthologia Graeca; Florilegii Graecii	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10th century CE and one from the 14th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.	Byzantine Greek

M/M: Harmodius & Aristogiton, Sacred Names of Freedom Fighters: Aulus Gellius 9.2.10-11

Maiores autem mei Athenienses nomina iuvenum fortissimorum Harmodii et Aristogitonis, qui libertatis recuperandae gratia Hippiam tyrannum interficere adorsi erant, ne umquam servis indere liceret decreto publico sanxerunt, quoniam nefas ducerent nomina libertati patriae devota servili contagio pollui. Cur ergo nos patimur nomen philosophiae inlustrissimum in hominibus deterrimis exsordescere?

--Aulus Gellius Att. Noct. 9.2.10-11

Herodes Atticus criticizes a scammer disguised as a philosopher:

“My Athenian ancestors made a law that slaves could never have the name of Harmodius & Aristogiton, the incredibly brave youths who undertook a plot to kill the tyrant Hippias in an attempt to restore liberty to the city.  They thought it was an abomination for the names of those who sacrificed their lives for their country’s freedom should be polluted by being associated with slaves.   So then why are we allowing the noble name of ‘philosopher’ to be made filthy by disgusting scammers?  

AULUS GELLIUS

MAP:

Name:  Aulus Gellius

Date:  2^nd. c. CE

Works:  Attic Nights

 

REGION  UNKNOWN

BIO:

Timeline:

 Aulus Gellius lived during the 2^nd century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes about literature, history, and grammar.  From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus and Fronto.

 SILVER AGE LATIN

 

Stop Clutching Your Pearls: Books Don't Change Women's Behavior, Ovid, Tristia 2.285-316

 In his Tristia, Ovid laments that his poetry caused his exile, but cites numerous examples of other, much worse "influences" that aren't addressed by censorship:

Tollatur Circus; non tuta licentia Circi est:
     hic sedet ignoto iuncta puella uiro.
Cum quaedam spatientur in hoc, ut amator eodem
     conueniat, quare porticus ulla patet?
Quis locus est templis augustior? Haec quoque uitet,
     in culpam siqua est ingeniosa suam.
Cum steterit Iouis aede, Iouis succurret in aede
     quam multas matres fecerit ille deus.
Proxima adoranti Iunonis templa subibit,
     paelicibus multis hanc doluisse deam.
Pallade conspecta, natum de crimine uirgo
     sustulerit quare, quaeret, Erichthonium.
Venerit in magni templum, tua munera, Martis,
     stat Venus Vltori iuncta, uir ante fores.
Isidis aede sedens, cur hanc Saturnia, quaeret,
     egerit Ionio Bosphorioque mari?
In Venerem Anchises, in Lunam Latmius heros,
     in Cererem Iasion, qui referatur, erit.
Omnia peruersas possunt corrumpere mentes
     stant tamen illa suis omnia tuta locis.
Et procul a scripta solis meretricibus Arte
     summouet ingenuas pagina prima manus.
Quaecumque erupit, qua non sinit ire sacerdos,
     protinus huic dempti criminis ipsa rea est.
Nec tamen est facinus uersus euoluere mollis,
     multa licet castae non facienda legant.
Saepe supercilii nudas matrona seueri
     et Veneris stantis ad genus omne uidet.
Corpora Vestales oculi meretricia cernunt,
     nec domino poenae res ea causa fuit.

At cur in nostra nimia est lasciuia Musa,
     curue meus cuiquam suadet amare liber?

--Ovid, Tristia II.285-316 

The Circus Maximus should be shut down—it’s not safe for women!  You can see women hanging out with men who aren’t their husbands there (gasp!).

Why does any portico remain standing, when this is a place where a woman can meet with her lover? (gasp!)

What is a more sacred place than a temple? Women should avoid them too! They are also complicit in tempting women to stray. 

When she stands in Jupiter’s temple, a woman will realize how many lovers the god impregnated.

If she goes to the Temple of Juno next door, she will realize how many of Jupiter’s lovers upset the goddess.

When she sees Pallas Athena, she will think about Erichthonius, the child born from rape whom the goddess raised.

If she comes to the great temple of Mars that you made, she sees Venus hand-in-hand with the Mars the Avenger, standing together outside.

Sitting in the temple of Isis, she will wonder why Juno forced her [Io] to escape over the Ionian and Bosphorus sea?

In the Temple of Venus there’s a statue of her lover Anchises,

In the Temple of the Moon, there’s a statue of [her lover] Endymion,

In the Temple of Ceres, there’s the statue of Iasion.

There’s inappropriate stuff that can corrupt minds prone to dirty thoughts in all of the temples—and yet they are safe!

The first page of the book written by courtesans for courtesans warns well-born women not to read it.

If a woman leaves her designated area in a temple, and goes where a priest doesn’t allow her to go, it is her fault, not his.

Nor is it a crime to read sexy verses! Of course chaste women can read about stuff they aren’t supposed to do. [When they bathe publicly] often noble women with stern expressions look at naked women from every walk of life. Vestal Virgins look upon naked bodies of prostitutes, and this doesn’t get them in trouble. 

But yet why is *my* book too licentious, why does my book persuade others to love?

OVID	MAP:
Name: Publius Ovidius Naso   Date:  43 BCE – 18 CE Works:  Ars Amatoria                Metamorphoses*               Tristia, etc.	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Ovid was one of the most famous love poets of Rome’s Golden Age. His most famous work, the Metamorphoses, provides a history of the world through a series of interwoven myths. Most of his poetry is erotic in nature; for this reason, he fell into trouble during the conservative social reforms under the reign of the emperor Augustus. In 8 CE he was banished to Bithynia, where he spent the remainder of his life pining for his native homeland.	GOLDEN AGE ROME