M/M: The Sacred Band of Thebes, Athenaeus, Deipno. 13.12

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists 13.12

Pontianos said that Zenon from Citium declared that Eros was the god of friendship and liberty, the provider of harmony, and nothing else. He wrote in The Republic that Eros was a god and an assistant in the safety of the community….In Thebes, the so-called “Sacred Band” composed of lovers, demonstrates the majesty of the god of love, for these soldiers welcome an honorable death over living with dishonor.

Ποντιανὸς δὲ Ζήνωνα ἔφη τὸν Κιτιέα ὑπολαμβάνειν τὸν Ἔρωτα θεὸν εἶναι φιλίας καὶ ἐλευθερίας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁμονοίας παρασκευαστικόν, ἄλλου δὲ οὐδενός. διὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ Πολιτείᾳ ἔφη τὸν Ἔρωτα θεὸν εἶναι συνεργὸν ὑπάρχοντα πρὸς τὴν τῆς πόλεως σωτηρίαν. …ὁ δὲ παρὰ Θηβαίοις ἱερὸς λόχος καλούμενος συνέστηκεν ἐξ ἐραστῶν καὶ ἐρωμένων, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ σεμνότητα ἐμφαίνων, ἀσπαζομένων θάνατον ἔνδοξον ἀντ᾽ αἰσχροῦ καὶ ἐπονειδίστου βίου. 

Tum Potianus, Zenonem Citieum, aiebat, existimare Amorem Deum esse, Amicitiae &Libertatis & Concordiae auctorem, neque ei aliud esse negotium. Quare etiam in Republica scripsit, esse Amorem Deum, adiutorem ad salutem civitatis … Apud Thebanos sacra cohors, quae vocabatur, ex amatoribus & amasiis composita, maiestatem Dei huius declarabat, quum gloriosam mortem turpi & probrosae vitae anteferrent. 

Translated into Latin by Johannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

Not Each Other's Type, Anacreon fr. 358

Not Each Other’s Type

Name: Anacreon Date:  582 – 485 BCE Region:  Teos [modern Turkey] Citation: Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 13.72

According to Athenaeus, Anacreon wrote this poem to Sappho, because he was smitten by her:

Golden Haired Love

Attacked me with a purple ball.

He keeps trying to get me

To play with him.

But she who inhabits posh Lesbos [Sappho]

Takes one look at my silver hair,

Laughs at me

And swoons over someone else—a girl!

 

σφαίρῃ δεὖτέ με πορφυρῇ βάλλων χρυσοκόμης Ἔρως νήνι ποικιλοσαμβάλῳ συμπαίζειν προκαλεῖται. ἡ δ᾽ ἐστὶν γὰρ ἀπ᾽ εὐκτίτου Λέσβοὐ τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν κόμην λευκὴ γάρ καταμέμφεται, πρὸς δ᾽ ἄλλην τινὰ χάσκει.

Globo, age, me purpureo petens auricomus Amor, huic, varie me prensans, ut colludam provocat. at illa, est enim ex bene habitata Lesbo, meam quidem comam, cana cum sit, vituperat, et alli cuipiam inhiat.  Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Anacreon [575 – 495 BCE, modern Turkey] was a Greek poet who lived during the 6th century BCE. He was born in Teos [modern Turkey] during a period of intense conflict between the Ionian and Persian forces, and did not remain in his homeland for long. Sources indicate that he found success and fame for his poetry in Samos and Athens, but little is known about his life beyond anecdotes written hundreds of years after his death.  His poetry was exceedingly popular, to the extent that an entire genre of poetry was dedicated to his style of writing; the Anacreonta are a collection of poems written in imitation of his writing style composed by Greek authors throughout the centuries. Despite Anacreon’s immense popularity and influence on literature, only fragments of his poetry remain today.

Is she or isn't she? Philaenis I

 According to Greek lore, Philaenis was a woman author who wrote a treatise on erotic arts. Because of this, the name Philaenis was used for a stock character of a woman who exceeded Greco-Roman gender roles. Whether she showed excessive lust, same-sex desire, or had children out of wedlock, the name Philaenis was used as an umbrella-term to cover these "unladylike" behaviors.

However, several authors vehemently defended the historic Philaenis, claiming that she was not the author of the treatise:

Dear friends, I admire the Stoic icon Chrysippus for many reasons, but especially because he considered Archestratus’ Cookbook equal to Philaenis’ flirty book On Love.  However, the iambic poet Aeschrion of Samos, said that this is a lie of that the sophist Polycrates created to slander this chaste woman. He states,

“I am Philaenis, slandered among mortals,

I was brought down by blessed old age.

Foolish sailor, as you sail around the sharp promontory,

Do not laugh at me, or slander me.

For I swear by Zeus and his Sons in the Underworld

That I am not promiscuous, nor did I cavort with men lustfully.

Polycrates the Athenian, with his clever words and evil tongue

Wrote what he wrote; I am ignorant of it.

Ego vero, Viri amici, Chrysippum Stoae antistitem cum ob alia multa demiror, tum hoc nomine laudo, quod ob Obsonandi artem celebratum Archestratum semper eodem loco cum Philaenide posuerit ille, cui tribuitur lascivum DE REBUS VENERIS scriptum; quod Aeschrio quidem Samius, iambicus poeta, ait a Polycrate sophistra confectum, quo obtrectaret feminae, quae honestissima fuisset. Sunt autem (Aeschrionis) iambi huiusmodi:

"Ego Philaenis, Samosa inter mortales,

hic senio confecta iaceo.

Ne me, o stulte nauta, promontorium circumnavigans

ludibrio habe & risui opprobrioque.

Non enim, per Iovem, non, per inferos Iuvenes,

non sui in viros libidinosa, non illis me prostitui.

Sed Polycrates, genere Atheniensis

astutus blatero & lingua maligna,

scripsit quae scripsit: ego enim sum nescio.

Χρύσιππον δ᾽, ἄνδρες φίλοι, τὸν τῆς στοᾶς ἡγεμόνα κατὰ πολλὰ θαυμάζων ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπαινῶ τὸν πολυθρύλητον ἐπὶ τῇ ὀψολογίᾳ Ἀρχέστρατον αἰεί ποτε μετὰ Φιλαινίδος κατατάττοντα, εἰς ἣν ἀναφέρεται τὸ περὶ ἀφροδισίων ἀκόλαστον σύγγραμμα,  ὅπερ φησὶ ποιῆσαι Αἰσχρίων ὁ Σάμιος ἰαμβοποιὸς Πολυκράτη τὸν σοφιστὴν ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τῆς ἀνθρώπου σωφρονεστάτης γενομένης, ἔχει δὲ οὕτως τὰ ἰαμβεῖα:

 

ἐγὼ Φιλαινὶς ἡ ' πίβωτος ἀνθρώποις

ἐνταῦθα γήρᾳ τῷ μακρῷ κεκοίμημαι.

μὴ μ᾽, ὦ μάταιε ναῦτα, τὴν ἄκραν κάμπτων

χλεύην τε ποιεῦ καὶ γέλωτα καὶ λάσθην:

οὐ γὰρ μὰ τὸν Ζεῦν, οὐ μὰ τοὺς κάτω κούρους,

οὐκ ἦν ἐς ἄνδρας μάχλος οὐδὲ δημώδης:

Πολυκράτης δὲ τὴν γενῆν Ἀθηναῖος,

λόγων τι παιπάλημα καὶ κακὴ γλῶσσα,

ἔγραψεν ἅσσ᾽ ἔγραψ᾽; ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδα.

–Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 7.p.335a-c; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

This is the tomb of Philaenis of Samos.

Approach, mortal, my epitaph:

I am not the woman who wrote unladylike deeds,

Nor did I deny Modesty was a goddess.

But I was modest, as my tomb attests;

If anyone dishonors my reputation,

May time destroy his name.

May my bones rejoice in no longer being associated with that reputation.

Samiae hoc sepulcrum Philaenidis. Sed affari

sustine me, et ad-cippum prope, o vir, accede.

non sum illa quae muliebris attribuit [dura]

opera et Pudorem non reputavit deum;

sed animo-pudica, hae testor meum tumulum; si quis vero

infamans protervum finxit commentarium,

huius quidem revelet tempus nomen, sed detestabilem mea

ossa exsultent fama repelentis.

τῆς Σαμίης τὸ μνῆμα Φιλαινίδος: ἀλλὰ προσειπεῖν

τλῆθί με, καὶ στήλης πλησίον, ὦνερ, ἴθι.

οὐκ εἴμ᾽ ἡ τὰ γυναιξὶν ἀναγράψασα προσάντη

ἔργα, καὶ Αἰσχύνην οὐ νομίσασα θεὸν [p. 246]

ἀλλὰ φιλαιδήμων, ναὶ ἐμὸν τάφον εἰ δέ τις ἡμέας

αἰσχύνων λαμυρὴν ἔπλασεν ἱστορίην,

τοῦ μὲν ἀναπτύξαι χρόνος οὔνομα: τἀμὰ δὲ λυγρὴν

ὀστέα τερφθείη κληδόν᾽ ἀπωσαμένης.

--Greek Anthology 7.450; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho. 

Challenging Gender Roles: Alexander the Great's Gender-Bending Outfits, Athenaeus, Deipnos. 12.53

 

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists  12.53

Ephippus also states that Alexander the Great also wore sacred garments to dinner. Sometime he wore Ammon’s sacred purple garb, open-toe sandals, and horns, just like the god would. Sometimes he dressed in Artemis’ garb; he usually did this when he was riding in a chariot, with the Persian cloak, wearing the goddess’ bow on his shoulders and brandishing her spear in his hand. Sometimes he dressed like Hermes; but on most days, he would wear a purple cloak, a tunic with white stripes, and a royal miter, with a crown on top. When he was hanging out with his entourage, he would wear Hermes' iconic sandals and hat, with the god's Caduceus in his hand. Sometimes he wore even Hercules’ lion pelt and club.”

Ephippus vero scribit: "Etiam sacras vestes in cenis gestasse Alexandrum: nunc quidem Hammonis purpuram, & fissiles soleas & cornua, velut ipse Deus; nunc vero Dianae, cuius cultum saepe etiam sumebat quum curru veheretur, Persica quidem stola indutus, sed ita ut supra humeros arcus Deae & spiculum emineret. Subinde etiam Mercurii cultum; alias quidem fere ac quotidie chlamydem purpueram & tunicam medio albo intertexto & causiam cui diadema regium circum positum; ubi vero cum amicis una esset, talaria, & petasum in capite, & caduceum in manu: saepe vero etiam leoninam pellem & clavam, veluti Hercules."

ἔφιππος δέ φησιν ὡς Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς  ἐσθῆτας ἐφόρει ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις, ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν τοῦ Ἄμμωνος πορφυρίδα καὶ περισχιδεῖς καὶ κέρατα καθάπερ ὁ θεός, ὁτὲ δὲ τὴν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, ἣν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἅρματος ἐφόρει πολλάκις, ἔχων τὴν Περσικὴν στολήν, ὑποφαίνων ἄνωθεν τῶν ὤμων τό τε τόξον καὶ τὴν σιβύνην, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ: τὰ μὲν ἄλλα σχεδὸν καὶ καθ᾽ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν χλαμύδα τε πορφυρᾶν καὶ χιτῶνα μεσόλευκον καὶ τὴν καυσίαν ἔχουσαν τὸ διάδημα τὸ βασιλικόν, ἐν δὲ τῇ συνουσίᾳ τά τε πέδιλα καὶ τὸν πέτασον ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ καὶ τὸ κηρύκειον ἐν τῇ χειρί, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ λεοντῆν καὶ ῥόπαλον ὥσπερ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς.

 Translated into Latin by Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1804)

 

 Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

 

"Where Are My Roses?" Lyrics to a Slow Dance, Athenaeus, Deipn. 14.27

“Where are my Roses?” Lyrics to a Slow Dance

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists 14.27

There is a slow dance for couples called “The Flowers,” where they act out a dance as they say,

“Where are my roses?

Where are my violets?

Where is my beautiful parsley?”

And the response is:

“Here are your roses,

Here are your violets,

Here is your beautiful parsley.”

“Where are my Roses?” Lyrics to a Slow Dance

ἦν δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἰδιώταις ἡ καλουμένη ἄνθεμα. ταύτην δὲ ὠρχοῦντο μετὰ λέξεως τοιαύτης μιμούμενοι καὶ λέγοντες: ποῦ μοι τὰ ῥόδα, ποῦ μοι τὰ ἴα, ποῦ μοι τὰ καλὰ σέλινα; ποῦ μοι τὰδ’ τὰ ῥόδα; ταδὶ τὰ ἴα, ταδὶ τὰ καλὰ σέλινα.

Erat vero etiam apud privatos saltatio quae flores vocabatur. Hanc saltabant, cum mimico motu verba haec pronuntiantes: Ubi mihi rosae? Ubi mihi violae? Ubi mihi apia pulcra? Ubi mihi rosae hae? Violae hae? Apia haec pulchra? Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

M/M: The Heroic Sacrifices of Cratinus and Aristodemus, Athenaeus Deip. XIII.78

This myth mirrors the Roman myth of Marcus Curtius.

The story of Athenian Cratinus is also famous. According to Neanthes of Cyzicus’ second book of On Sacrifical Rites, when Epimenides was using human blood to expiate Athens, Cratinus was a stunning young man who sacrificed himself in order to save the one who raised him [Athens]. After he died, his lover Aristodemus also died, and the sacrifice was fulfilled.

Celebratum etiam est Cratini factum Atheniensis: qui cum formosus esset adolescentulus, quo tempore Epimenides Atticam humano sanguine lustravit ob vetusta quaeda piacula, ut tradit Neanthes Cyzicenus secundo libro DE Initiationibus, ulto se ipsum pro patria obtulit: cuius post mortem Aristodemus etiam, amator eius, sponte vitam finivit, & cessavit malum

διαβόητα δ᾽ ἐστὶν καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ Κρατίνῳ τῷ Ἀθηναίῳ γενόμενα: ὃς μειράκιον ὢν εὔμορφον, Ἐπιμενίδου καθαίροντος τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἀνθρωπείῳ αἵματι διά τινα μύση παλαιά, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Νεάνθης ὁ Κυζικηνὸς ἐν β᾽ περὶ Τελετῶν, ἑκὼν αὑτὸν ἐπέδωκεν ὁ Κρατῖνος ὑπὲρ τῆς θρεψαμένης: ᾧ καὶ ἐπαπέθανεν ὁ ἐραστὴς Ἀριστόδημος, λύσιν τ᾽ ἔλαβε τὸ δεινόν

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIII.78; Translated in to Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805) 

 

 Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

 

M/M: Chariton and Melanippus, Blessed Pair: Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIII.78

 Like the Athenian couple Harmodius and Aristogeiton, the couple Melanippus and Chariton are also seen as symbols of political freedom.

Chariton & Melanippus were blessed;

Pinnacle of holy love on earth.

Felix & Chariton & Melanippus erat,

mortalium genti auctores coelestis amoris.

εὐδαίμων Χαρίτων καὶ Μελάνιππος ἔφυ,

θείας ἁγητῆρες ἐφαμερίοις φιλότατος.

 

 --Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIII.78; Translated in to Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

 Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho. 

M/M: Melanippus and Chariton, Two Lovers of Freedom Athenaeus, Deip. 13.78

Melanippus and Chariton, Defenders of Freedom

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists 13.78

According to The Lovers by Heraclides of Pontus, [Melanippus and Chariton] were caught plotting against Phalaris. Even when they were tortured to provide the names of their accomplices, they refused. Moreover, their plight moved Phalaris’ sympathy to such an extent that he praised them and released them.

ὥς φησιν Ἡρακλείδης ὁ Ποντικὸς ἐν τῷ περὶ Ἐρωτικῶν, οὗτοι φανέντες ἐπιβουλεύοντες Φαλάριδι καὶ βασανιζόμεναι ἀναγκαζόμενοί τε λέγειν τοὺς συνειδότας οὐ μόνον οὐ κατεῖπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Φάλαριν αὐτὸν εἰς ἔλεον τῶν βασάνων ἤγαγον, ὡς ἀπολῦσαι αὐτοὺς πολλὰ ἐπαινέσαντα.

...ut ait Heraclides Ponticus in libro De Amatoriis. Hi [Melanippus & Chariton] igitur deprehensi insidias struxisse Phalaridi, & tormentis subiecti quo coniuratos denunciare cogerentur, non modo non denuntiarunt, sed etiam Phalarin ipsum ad misericordiam tormentorum commoverunt, ut plurimum collaudatos dimitteret.  Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

M/M: A Flower for Antinous (continued). Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae xv.21

Now that I mention Alexandria, I recall that in that beautiful city there is a certain type of garland called the “Antinous,” made from a type of lotus flower. It grows in the marshlands in the middle of the summer. It comes in two colors, one similar to a rose (this is the kind they use for the Antinous garland), the other color called a lotus garland, and those flowers are bluish. Pancrates, a poet from there (an acquaintance of mine), presented this garland to Emperor Hadrian when he was sightseeing in Alexandria, and claimed it was a marvel.  He told the emperor that this ought to be called the “Antinous garland,” since it sprung from the ground where the blood of the Mauritanian lion that Hadrian [and Antinous] had killed when they were hunting in nearby Libya. The lion was a mighty beast which was menacing Africa so much that made a large portion of the land uninhabitable. Hadrian was delighted by the suggestion and the novelty of the idea, and granted that the poet live in the Museum at public expense.

Quoniam vero mentionem feci Alexandriae, memini etiam in pulchra hac urbe Antinoeam nominari coronam quamdam; quae fit ex loto qui ibi vocatur. Nascitur autem hic in paludibus, media aestate. Floris duplex color: alter rosae similis, e quo nexa corona proprie Antinoea vocatur: altera corona lotina nominatur, caeruleum (sive, ut corrigunt nonnulli, niveum) habens colorem. Et Pancrates quidem, indigena poeta, quem etiam nos cognitum habuimus, Adriano Imperatori, Alexandriae versanti, roseum lotum veluti miraculum quoddam ostentavit; dicens debere illum Antinoeam nominari, editum tunc e terra, cum sanguinem illa accepisset Mauri leonis, quem Adrianus in Libya Alexandriae finitima, cum venaretur, prostraverat; ingentem belvam, quae diu Libyam ita vastaverat, ut magnam eius partem desertam reddidisset hic leo. Delectatus igitur Adrianus commenti inventione ac novitate, concessit poetae ut publico sumptu in Museo aleretur.

ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐμνημόνευσα, οἶδά τινα ἐν τῇ καλῇ ταύτῃ πόλει καλούμενον στέφανον ΑΝΤΙΝΟΕΙΟΝ γινόμενον ἐκ τοῦ αὐτόθι καλουμένου λωτοῦ. φύεται δ᾽ οὗτος ἐν λίμναις θέρους ὥρᾳ, καὶ εἰσὶν αὐτοῦ χροιαὶ δύο, ἣ μὲν τῷ ῥόδῳ ἐοικυῖα: ἐκ τούτου δὲ ὁ πλεκόμενος στέφανος κυρίως Ἀντινόειος καλεῖται: ὁ δὲ ἕτερος λώτινος ὀνομάζεται, κυανέαν ἔχων τὴν χροιάν. καὶ Παγκράτης τις τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ποιητής, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν, Ἀδριανῷ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἐπιδημήσαντι τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ μετὰ πολλῆς τερατείας ἐπέδειξεν τὸν ῥοδίζοντα λωτόν, φάσκων αὐτὸν δεῖν καλεῖν Ἀντινόειον, ἀναπεμφθέντα ὑπὸ τῆς γῆς ὅτε τὸ αἷμα ἐδέξατο τοῦ Μαυρουσίου λέοντος, ὃν κατὰ τὴν πλησίον τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Λιβύην ἐν κυνηγίῳ καταβεβλήκει ὁ Ἀδριανός, μέγα χρῆμα ὄντα καὶ πολλῷ χρόνῳ κατανεμηθέντα πᾶσαν τὴν Λιβύην, ἧς καὶ πολλὰ ἀοίκητα ἐπεποιήκει οὗτος ὁ λέων. ἡσθεὶς οὖν ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς ἐννοίας εὑρέσει καὶ καινότητι τὴν ἐν Μουσῶν αὐτῷ σίτησιν ἔχειν ἐχαρίσατο. 

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XV.xxi; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

 

 Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

 

 

M/M: Alexander and Bagoas: Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIII.lxxx

Please note that even though Bagoas was free and able to consent to Alexander's affection, many eunuchs were not so lucky, and spent the duration of their lives in slavery. It is important to ensure that we do not romanticize relationships that would not be considered consensual today, including the master / slave dynamic.  

In his book On Sacred Sacrifices at Troy, Dichaearchus states that Alexander the Great was so smitten by the eunuch Bagoas that he kissed him in the middle of a theater, and when the spectators applauded them, he kissed him again.

Dicaearchus certe, in libro De Solemni Sacrificio ad Ilium, ait, ita impotenter [Alexandrum] amasse eum Bagoam eunuchum, ut in totius theatri conspectu…eum suaviaretur: plaudentibus vero spectatoribus, & adclamantibus, paruit, iteruque retro eum osculatus est.

Δικαίαρχος γοῦν ἐν τῷ περὶ τῆς ἐν Ἰλίῳ Θυσίας [Ἀλέξανδρον] Βαγώου τοῦ εὐνούχου οὕτως αὐτόν φησιν ἡττᾶσθαι ὡς ἐν ὄψει θεάτρου ὅλου καταφιλεῖν αὐτὸν ἀνακλάσαντα, καὶ τῶν θεατῶν ἐπιφωνησάντων μετὰ κρότου οὐκ ἀπειθήσας πάλιν ἀνακλάσας ἐφίλησεν.

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIII.lxxx; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho. 

The Vanity of Athena, Athenaeus, 14.7

The Vanity of Athena

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists  14.7

But Selinuntius Telestes, refuting Melanippus’ statement, said the following about Athena in his Argive History: “I don’t reckon that Athena, the wisest of minds, took up a musical instrument in the tree-topped mountains, and then, being afraid it would make her look ugly and shameful, threw it away. Instead, the flute gave fame to Marsyas, the noisy nymph-born satyr. Why should she care about being beautiful, since Clotho fated her to be asexual, unmarried, and childless?”

‘ ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γε Σελινούντιος Τελέστης τῷ Μελανιππίδῃ ἀντικορυσσόμενος ἐν Ἀργοῖ ἔφη—ὁ δὲ λόγος ἐστὶ περὶ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς: ὃν σοφὸν σοφὰν λαβοῦσαν οὐκ ἐπέλπομαι νόῳ δρυμοῖς ὀρείοις ὄργανον δῖαν Ἀθάνᾶν, δυσόφθαλμον αἶσχος ἐκφοβηθεῖσαν αὖθις ἐκ χερῶν βαλεῖν νυμφαγενεῖ χειροκτύπῳ φηρὶ Μαρσύᾳ κλέος. τί γαρ νιν εὐηράτοιο κάλλεος ὀξὺς ἔρως ἔτειρεν, ᾇ γὰρ παρθενίαν ἄγαμον καὶ ἄπαιδ᾽ ἀπένειμε Κλωθώ;”

At Selinuntius Telestes, repugnans Melanippidi, in Argo dixit: (agitur autem de Minerva:) “Non mihi credibile videtur, unum omnium sapientissimum instrumentum acceptum Divam sapientem Athenen in montium nemoribus, verentem oris deformitatem adspectu turpem, rursus e manibus proiecisse, Nympha—genito manibus—perstrepenti Sileno Marsyae gloriam. Qui enim illam optabilis pulcritudinis vehemens amor vexasset, cui virginitatem absque nuptiis liberisque tribuit Clotho?” Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

Challenging Gender Roles: Sappho, Nikarete, Bilistiche, Leaena. Athenaeus Deip. XIII.lxx

The following passage is a list of famous courtesans from Greek history. It is interesting to note how Sappho is treated; just like her entry in the Suda, this author simplified her complex history and impact by splitting her into two identities: a revered poet and a lusty entertainer. 

There was a courtesan from Eresos [city in Lesbos] named Sappho, just like the famous poet, who loved the beautiful Phaon. She was famously discussed by Nymphodorus in his Travels Around Asia. Nikarete, a courtesan from Megara, was not quite born in poverty; instead, she was born from a noble lineage and had a great education, and even became the philosopher Stilpon’s student. [The Olympic victor] Bilistiche, a courtesan from Argos, was also highly respected; according to the authors of Argive History, she was descended from Atreus’ dynasty.  The courtesan Leaena was also quite famous. She was the lover of the tyrant-killing Harmodius. Even when she was tortured by the tyrant Hippias, she died without betraying [her lover].

Sed & Ereso oriunda meretrix quaedam Sappho, quae pulcrum Phaonem amavit, celebris fuit, ut ait Nymph[odor]is in Asiae Periplo. Nicareta vero Megarensis non ignobilis fuit meretrix, sed & honestis parentibus nata, & ob doctrina amabilis erat: Stilponem enim philosophym audierat. Bilistiche vero Argiva, celebris item meretrix, genus ab Atridis repetens, ut tradunt qui Res Argolicas scripserunt. Celebratur quoque Leaena meretrix, Harmodii amasia tyrannicidae: quae etiam cruciata iussu Hippiae tyranni, nihil enuncians in tormentis mortua est.

 

70. καὶ ἡ ἐξ Ἐρέσου δὲ τῆς ποιητρίας ὁμώνυμος ἑταίρα Σαπφὼ τοῦ καλοῦ Φάωνος ἐρασθεῖσα περιβόητος ἦν, ὥς φησι Νυμφόδωρος ἐν Περίπλῳ [p. 216] Ἀσίας. Νικαρέτη δὲ ἡ Μεγαρὶς οὐκ ἀγεννὴς ἦν ἑταίρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ γονέων ἕνεκα καὶ κατὰ παιδείαν ἐπέραστος ἦν, ἠκροᾶτο δὲ Στίλπωνος τοῦ φιλοσόφου. Βιλιστίχη δ᾽ ἡ Ἀργεία ἑταίρα καὶ αὐτὴ ἔνδοξος, τὸ γένος ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀτρειδῶν σῴζουσα, ὡς οἱ τὰ Ἀργολικὰ γράψαντες ἱστοροῦσιν. ἔνδοξος δ᾽ ἐστὶν καὶ Λέαινα ἡ ἑταίρα, Ἁρμοδίου ἐρωμένη τοῦ τυραννοκτονήσαντος:: ἥτις καὶ αἰκιζομένη ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ Ἱππίαν τὸν τύραννον οὐδὲν ἐξειποῦσα ἐναπέθανεν ταῖς βασάνοις.

 

--Athenaeus, Deipnosoph. XIII.lxx; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

 

 Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

  

 

M/M: Harmodius & Aristogeiton, Defenders of Liberty. Athenaeus, Deipnosoph. 15.l

Hymns in Praise of Harmodius and Aristogeiton,  The Liberators of Athens

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists  15.49.10-13

I carry a sword hidden in a myrtle branch,

Just like Harmodius and Aristogeiton did

When they killed the tyrant

And stood up for a free Athens.

ἐν μύρτου κλαδὶ τὸ ξίφος φορήσω,  ὥσπερ Ἁρμόδιος καὶ Ἀριστογείτων, ὅτε τὸν τύραννον κτανέτην ἰσονόμους τ᾽ ' Ἀθήνας ἐποιησάτην.

In myrti ramo gladium feram, sicut Harmodius Aristogitonque, quum tyrannum occiderunt, liberasque Athenas praestiterunt. Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Dearest Harmodius, you are not dead;

Rather, they say you live on the Isle of the Blessed

Where swift-footed Achilles lives,

Where Diomedes lives.

φίλταθ᾽ Ἁρμόδι᾽, οὔ τι που τέθνηκας νήσοις δ᾽ ἐν μακάρων σέ φασιν εἶναι, ἵνα περ ποδώκης Ἀχιλεὺς, Τυδείδην τέ φασιν Διομήδεα.

Carissime Harmodie, non utique mortuus es: beatorum sed in insulis te aiunt esse, ubi velox pedibus Achilles, Tydidemque ubi aiunt esse Diomedem. Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

I carry a sword hidden in a myrtle branch

Just like Harmodius and Aristogeiton did

When during Minerva’s sacrifices

They slaughtered the tyrant Hipparchus.

ἐν μύρτου κλαδὶ τὸ ξίφος φορήσω, ὥσπερ Ἁρμόδιος κ’ Ἀριστογείτων, ὅτ᾽ Ἀθηναίης ἐν θυσίαις ἄνδρα τύραννον Ἵππαρχον ἐκαινέτην.

In myrti ramo gladium feram sicut Harmodius Aristogitonque, Minervae cum in sacrificiis virum tyrannum Hipparchum occiderunt. Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Dearest Harmodius and Aristogeiton,

The earth will forever honor you

Because you removed a tyrant

And stood up for a free Athens. 

αἰεὶ σφῷν κλέος ἔσσεται κατ᾽ αἶαν, φίλταθ᾽ Ἁρμόδιε κ’ Ἀριστόγειτον: ὅτι τὸν τύραννον κτανέτον ἰσονόμους τ᾽ Ἀθήνας ἐποιησάτον.

Semper vester honos in terra durabit, carissime Harodie & Aristogiton; quod tyrannum sustulistis, liberasque praestitistis Athenas.   Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.