Challenging Gender Roles: Hypatia, Greek Anthology, 9.400

All of Heaven is Your Classroom, Hypatia

Name:   Palladas Date:   4th century CE Region:    Alexandria [modern Egypt] Citation:     Greek Anthology 9.400

Holy Hypatia,

Immaculate star of education,

Whenever I see you

I bow down in worship,

Revering you and your wisdom,

As if I were gazing at the starry house of the Maiden,

For all of Heaven is your classroom.

ὅταν βλέπω σε, προσκυνῶ, καὶ τοὺς λόγους, τῆς παρθένου τὸν οἶκον ἀστρῷον βλέπων εἰς οὐρανὸν γάρ ἐστί σου τὰ πράγματα, Ὑπατία σεμνή, τῶν λόγων εὐμορφία, ἄχραντον ἄστρον τῆς σοφῆς παιδεύσεως.

Colat necesse est literas, te qui videt Et virginalem spectat astrigeram domum: Negotium namque omne cum coelo tibi, Hypatia prudens, dulce sermonis decus, Sapientis artis sidus integerrimum. Translated into Latin by  Hugo Grotius

Palladas [4th century CE, modern Egypt] was a 4th c. CE poet and scholar who lived in Alexandria. Little is known about his life, but several of his poems were preserved in The Greek Anthology.

Far from the Crimes of Man: Astraea, Seneca, Octavia, 397 - 424

Astraea, Far From the Crimes of Man

Name:  Seneca the Younger Date:   4 BCE – 65 CE Region:   Corduba, Hispania [modern Spain] Citation:   Octavia 397 – 423

Then Justice, the great-souled virgin goddess,

Came down from heaven and

Ruled over the human race throughout the earth

With sacred faith.

At that time, mankind did not know the name of war,

Nor the shrill trumpet cry of reveille, nor of warfare.

Cities were not accustomed to build up defensive walls.

Travel was open for all, and

All property was held in common.

The earth herself, Mother and Guardian,

Gladly produced her bountiful crops for her children.

But the next age was less luxurious...

The third age of mankind expanded with new technology,

Still a pious generation, but restless.

They dared to hunt down wild beasts,

Drag fish from the waves with their nets,

Use snares for birds and other animals,

Tame oxen with yoke,

Slash open the untouched earth with their ploughs.

And now, wounded, the earth hid her fruits

More deeply in her bosom.

But that age violated their sacred Mother’s flesh,

Plucking out iron and gold.

Placed weapons in their savage hands,

Established borders for their kingdoms,

Built up new empires,

Defended their own homes with weapons,

Or sought out new homes for treasure.

Neglected, the virgin goddess Astraea

Fled the earth and savage ways of man,

Fled those hands polluted with bloody murder

And sought the great glory of stars.

Astraea, Far From the Crimes of Man

Tunc illa virgo, numinis magni dea,
Justitia, caelo missa cum sancta Fide
terra regebat mitis humanum genus.
Non bella norant, non tubae fremitus truces,
non arma gentes, cingere assuerant suas
muris nec urbes: pervium cunctis iter,
communis usus omnium rerum fuit;
et ipsa Tellus laeta fecundos sinus
pandebat ultro, tam piis felix parens                          
et tuta alumnis. Alia sed suboles minus
conspecta mitis...

... Tertium sollers genus                   

novas ad artes extitit, sanctum tamen,
mox inquietum quod sequi cursu feras
auderet acres, fluctibus tectos gravi         
extrahere pisces rete uel calamo levi,
decipere volucres crate...
tenere laqueo, premere subiectos iugo  
tauros feroces, vomere immunem prius
sulcare terram, laesa quae fruges suas…
interior, alte condidit sacro sinu.
Sed in parentis viscera intravit suae
deterior aetas; eruit ferrum grave
aurumque, saevas mox et armavit manus;
partita fines regna constituit, novas
exstruxit urbes, tecta defendit sua 
aliena telis aut petit praedae imminens.
Neglecta terras fugit et mores feros
hominum, cruenta caede pollutas manus
Astraea virgo, siderum magnum decus.

 

Seneca the Younger [Lucius Annaeus Seneca; 4 BCE – 65 CE, modern Spain] Originally from Corduba, Hispania, Seneca the Younger was a Roman statesman with a tumultuous career. First exiled to the island of Corsica by the emperor Claudius, he was later recalled and became the emperor Nero’s mentor and tutor. Seneca wrote prolifically in several genres, including Stoic philosophy and Roman tragedies. He was ultimately put to death by the emperor Nero for his participation in the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 CE.

Ace and Proud: Virgo's Origin Story, Part II: Ovid, Metam. 1.149 - 150

Name:   Ovid Date:     43 BCE – 17 CE Region:    Sulmo [modern Italy] Citation:  Metamorphoses 1.149 - 150

And in the end, when Piety lay crushed in defeat,
the maiden Astraea, the last of the divinities,
left the realm of humanity still dripping with blood.

Victa iacet pietas, et virgo caede madentis
ultima caelestum terras Astraea reliquit.

Ovid [Publius Ovidius Naso; 43 BCE – 17 CE, modern Italy] 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 [modern Turkey], where he spent the remainder of his life pining for his native homeland.

Ace and Proud: Virgo's Origin Story, Hyginus, De Astr. 2.25

Name: Hyginus   Date:  64 BCE – 17 CE Region:  Hispania [modern Spain] / Alexandria [modern Egypt]; Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  On Astronomy 2.25

THE CONSTELLATION VIRGO: Hesiod states that the constellation Virgo represents the daughter of Jupiter & Themis [Justice]. Aratus, however, thinks that it represents the daughter of Astraeus and Aurora [Eos, the goddess of the dawn], who existed during the Golden Age of Mankind, and was their leader. Because of her duty and fairness, she was also called "Justice."  For at that time there was no threat to external war, there was no need for foreign trade or sea travel; everyone just lived off of the fruits of their own land. But after that age ended, the following generations were less able to mind their own business, and became greedy; therefore Justice was accustomed to dwell among humans less and less. Finally it got so bad that it became known as the "Bronze Age of Mankind." No longer able to endure the wretchedness of mankind, Justice flew off into the stars.

VIRGO: Hanc Hesiodus Iovis et Themidis filiam dicit; Aratus autem Astraei et Aurorae filiam existimari, quae eodem tempore fuerit cum aurea saecula hominum, et eorum principem fuisse demonstrat. Quam propter diligentiam et aequitatem Iustitiam appellatam; neque illo tempore ab hominibus exteras nationes bello lacessitas esse, neque navigio quemquam usum, sed agris colendis vitam agere consuesse. Sed post eorum obitum qui sint nati, eos minus officiosos, magis avaros coepisse fieri; quare minus Iustitiam inter homines fuisse conversatam. Denique causam pervenisse usque eo, dum diceretur aeneum genus hominum natum. Itaque iam non potuisse pati amplius et ad sidera evolasse. 

Hyginus [Caius Julius Hyginus; 64 BCE – 17 CE, modern Spain or Egypt] was one of Augustus’ freedmen and a famous mythographer. He was originally from Hispania [modern Spain].  Some think that he was actually from Alexandria [modern Egypt], and brought to Rome as a boy by Caesar after the fall of Alexandria. He studied under the Greek scholar Cornelius Alexander, then followed in his footsteps. He was in charge of the Palatine library, and despite this, still had the time to teach many people. He was very close friends with the poet Ovid and Clodius Licinius, the former consul and historian who, after Hyginus fell into poverty, supported him financially for as long as he lived.