Mobility of Hellenistic Women by Pasi Loman
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Mobility of Hellenistic Women by Pasi Loman Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, August 2004 Author’s Note: Please note that this thesis contains sections of Ancient Greek in the text. In order to successfully display and read these sections you will need to download the font SPIonic. This can be found and downloaded for free from this source: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/greek_harry _potter/vocabulary/greek_font_download.htm Table of contents ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................. 5 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 6 DEFINITIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 6 ‘Mobility’....................................................................................................................................... 6 ‘Hellenistic’ ................................................................................................................................... 7 AIMS AND METHODS......................................................................................................................... 11 PREVIOUS WORK ON WOMEN, TRAVEL AND COLONISATION............................................................ 20 1 EXILES AND REFUGEES............................................................................................................. 28 1.1 TRADITIONAL IMAGE OF GREEK EXILES...................................................................................... 29 1.2 OVERVIEWS OF EXILE ................................................................................................................. 32 Alexander III and Exile................................................................................................................ 32 Hellenistic Exiles ......................................................................................................................... 36 Note on Enslavement ................................................................................................................... 40 1.3 ALONE OR WITH FAMILY? ........................................................................................................... 41 Samos: Women Share Their Men’s Exile..................................................................................... 41 Families Separated by Exile: Women Left Behind....................................................................... 44 1.4 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 47 2 WIVES AND FAMILIES OF HELLENISTIC SOLDIERS ........................................................ 49 2.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................ 49 2.2 ALEXANDER’S SOLDIERS AND THEIR WOMEN ............................................................................ 52 2.3 HELLENISTIC MERCENARIES AND THEIR WOMEN ....................................................................... 55 Cretan Mercenary Families: a Case Study.................................................................................. 60 2.4 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 65 On the Importance of Women Camp Followers .......................................................................... 67 3 PROFESSIONAL, ARTISTIC AND ATHLETIC WOMEN....................................................... 75 3.1 TEXTILE WORKERS ..................................................................................................................... 75 3.2 MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS........................................................................................................... 79 3.3 PROSTITUTES AND ROYAL COURTESANS..................................................................................... 85 The Sex Industry—Foreign Prostitutes........................................................................................ 85 Royal Courtesans and Courtiers.................................................................................................. 91 3.4 PHILOSOPHERS .......................................................................................................................... 100 3.5 PERFORMING ARTISTS............................................................................................................... 102 Poets .......................................................................................................................................... 103 Musicians................................................................................................................................... 111 Dancers and Acrobats ............................................................................................................... 119 3.6 OTHER ARTISTS AND ATHLETES................................................................................................ 122 Painters...................................................................................................................................... 122 Athletes ...................................................................................................................................... 124 3.7 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 130 4 RELIGION AND FEMALE MOBILITY.................................................................................... 136 4.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 136 4.2 HEALING SANCTUARIES ............................................................................................................ 137 4.3 ORACLES ................................................................................................................................... 142 4.4 ORDINARY TEMPLES ................................................................................................................. 147 4.5 PANHELLENIC FESTIVALS.......................................................................................................... 148 4.6 MYSTERY CULTS....................................................................................................................... 153 2 4.7 CONCLUDING REMARKS ON FEMALE PILGRIMS ........................................................................ 159 4.8 RELIGION AND COLONISATION: WOMEN’S ROLE ...................................................................... 161 5 COLONISATION AND GREEK WOMEN................................................................................ 165 5.1 MIXED MARRIAGES – Tri/ton de_ ge&noj ou)de_n i1smen to_ mikto&n.... 166 Towards Statistics (of mixed marriages) ................................................................................... 178 5.2 DIVISIONS WITHIN CITIES .......................................................................................................... 185 5.3 COLONISATION EXPEDITIONS AND POPULATION TRANSFERS.................................................... 190 5.4 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 211 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................. 216 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................. 222 ABBREVIATIONS.............................................................................................................................. 222 PRIMARY SOURCES.......................................................................................................................... 225 SECONDARY SOURCES..................................................................................................................... 232 3 Abstract The purpose of the current thesis is to study various aspects of women’s mobility in the so-called Hellenistic period. It will attempt to provide answers to the questions ‘why did women travel,’ ‘how common was it for women to travel,’ and most importantly, ‘did women take part in the Hellenistic colonisation processes.’ The importance of women’s mobility for the Greek societies as a whole will also be evaluated. To study the mobility of Hellenistic women we shall use a wide variety of literary sources, inscriptions and papyri. The direct sources will be supplemented with some indirect evidence and a few theoretical models. For example, it will be argued that the number of mixed marriages in the new Greek colonies and kingdoms reflects the number of women immigrants. In chapter one, it will be argued that Greek exiles habitually, although not universally, took their wives and families abroad with them. In Chapter two, an argument will be put forward that many Hellenistic mercenaries travelled together with their families. Moreover,