Political Parthenoi: the Social and Political Significance of Female Performance in Archaic Greece
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Political Parthenoi: The Social and Political Significance of Female Performance in Archaic Greece Submitted by James William Smith to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics, February 2013 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. i Abstract This thesis will explore how social and political conditions in archaic Greece affected the composition of poetry for female choral performance. My primary source material will be the poetry of Alcman and Sappho. I examine the evidence suggesting that poems by both Alcman and Sappho commented on political issues, using this as a basis to argue that women in archaic Greece may have had a more vocal public presence that has previously been imagined. Rather than viewing female performance as a means of discussing purely feminine themes or reinforcing the idea of a disempowered female gender, I argue that the poetry of Alman and Sappho gives parthenoi an authoritative public voice to comment on issues in front of the watching community. Part of this authority is derived from the social value of parthenoi, who can act as economically and socially valuable points of exchange between communities, but I shall also be looking at how traditional elements of female performance genre were used to enhance female authority in archaic Sparta and Lesbos. Once this has been established, this thesis will proceed to examine how public female performance dealt with major political and social issues in the archaic world. I shall argue that the performance of parthenoi did focus on primarily feminine concerns such as marriage, desire, and abduction, but that it could also be an opportunity to discuss much broader political themes that were of major importance to the entire polis. Alcman and Sappho use their poetry as a vehicle to comment on the society in which their poetry was composed, both discussing threats to order and representing solutions for a stable society. The content of female performed poetry was often composed as much for a male audience as for the performers themselves, using traditional female performance as a means of commenting on the current political climate. Through arguing these factors, the intention of this thesis is to suggest a much more prominent public role for archaic Greek females than has previously been recognised. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... v Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1 – Introducing the Female Chorus .................................................................................... 8 2 - Spartan Female Performance ..................................................................................... 61 3 - The Deities of the Louvre Partheneion ...................................................................... 107 4 - Ritual, Mythology and Eunomia in Archaic Sparta .................................................... 134 5 – Marriage Poetry in Archaic Sparta ........................................................................... 175 6 - Sappho’s Performance Context ................................................................................ 205 7 - Sappho and Marriage at Mytilene ............................................................................ 234 8 - Death in Sappho’s Poetry ......................................................................................... 272 Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 305 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 307 iii iv Acknowledgements I begin by offering my sincerest thanks to my supervisor, Lynette Mitchell, whose patience, kindness and academic rigour have been invaluable in shaping this thesis. Lynette has been a marvellous supervisor and will continue to be a marvellous friend. My deepest thanks also go to Daniel Ogden, without whom there would be no thesis. Nobody offered me more encouragement when I first arrived at the University of Exeter and Daniel’s seemingly boundless enthusiasm for the project gave me a great deal of faith in myself. Richard Seaford and Richard Stoneman have both offered insightful feedback and numerous ideas throughout my time at Exeter. John Dillon was a constant source of companionship and demanded rigorous attention to detail. Felix Budelmann and Katerina Ladianou were both kind enough to let me read there extremely interesting unpublished work. I will be also be forever grateful to Claude Calame for taking an interest in my project, reading my work, and returning encouraging comments. Martin Lindner was the perfect host for my five-month doctoral exchange with Gottingen University and my thanks must also go to the Erasmus doctoral exchange scheme for funding my stay. The resources at Gottingen are fantastic, the departmental staff gracious, and the students first class. My thanks go to everyone who made my stay there both a pleasure and a steep learning curve. My fellow PhD students at Exeter have become great friends. In addition to providing a varied and interesting academic environment, they have also been a special source of good humour and friendly support. There are too many to mention all by name, but Elizabeth Dollins, Beth Hartley, Rowan Frazer, Kyle Erickson, Yue Kue, Steve Kennedy, Claude Kananack, Chris Siwicki, and Sharon Marshall are all worthy of special thanks; I could not have done it without you. Thanks must also go to all two hundred students whom I have had the pleasure of teaching. Your sense of humour, fresh ideas, and love of the subject were a constant source of cheer. v I thank Hazel Morton for putting up with me for almost three years – a truly remarkable effort! Finally, and most importantly, thanks go to my parents for always being there when I have needed them. vi Abbreviations Note that the following abbreviations for modern sources (for full publishing details of items listed here, except standard collections of texts and reference works, refer to the Bibliography). AP Anthologia Palatina (Palatine Anthology) Campbell, 1982 D.A. Campbell, Greek Lyric: Sappho and Alcaeusrev. edn Campbell, 1988 D. A. Campbell, Greek Lyric: Anacreon, Anacrontea, Early Choral Lyricrev. edn Campbell, 1991 D. A. Campbell, Greek Lyric: Steisichorus, Ibycus, Simonides, and Othersrev. edn Cole-Babbitt, 1949 F. Cole Babbitt, Plutarch, Moralia, Volume 3. Collard and Cropp, 2008 C.Collard, and M.Cropp. Euripides: Fragments. CVA Corpus Vasorum Antiqorum Davies PMGF M. Davies, Poetarum Melicorum Graecorum Fragmenta DK H. Diels & W. Kranz, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker6 FGrHist J. Jacoby, Die Fragmente der griecischen Historiker Henderson, 2000 J. Henderson, Aristophanes: Birds; Lysistrata; Women at the Thesmophoria. IG Inscriptiones Graecae, 14 vols K-A R. Kassel & C. Austin (ed.), Poetae Comici Graeci (8 vols) Latte & Erbse K. Latte & Erbse, H, Lexica Graeca Minora LIMC Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae Lloyd-Jones, 1996 H. Lloyd-Jones, Sophocles: Fragments. Most, 2007(a) G.W. Most, Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Testimonia, Volume 1. Most, 2007(b) G.W.Most, Hesiod: The Shield Catalogue of Women, Other Fragments, Volume 2. vii Murray, 1995(a) A.T. Murray, Homer: Odyssey, Volume 1, Books 1-12. Murray, 1995(b) A.T. Murray, Homer: Odyssey, Volume 2, Books 13-24. Murray, 1999(a) A.T. Murray, Homer: Iliad, Volume 1, Books 1-12. Murray, 1999(b) A.T. Murray, Homer: Iliad, Volume 2, Books 13-24. MW R. Merkelbach and M. L. West, Fragmenta Hesiodea. OCT Oxford Classical Texts Olson, 2006 D. Olson, Athenaeus: The Learned Banqueters. Volume II, Books III.106e – V. Olson, 2012 D. Olson, Athenaeus: The Learned Banqueters. Volume VIII, Book XV. Page PMG D.L. Page, Poetae Melici Graeci Race, 1997(a) W.H. Race, Pindar: Olympian Odes, Pythian Odes. Powell, 1925 J.U. Powell, Collectanea Alexandrina. Race, 1998(b) W. H. Race, Pindar: Nemean Odes, Isthmian Odes, Fragments. SEG Chaniotis, et al (ed.), Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum SM Sparta Museum TGF B. Snell & S Radt, Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta Note on Transliteration and Translation Most translations in this thesis are taken from the relevant edition of the Loeb Classical Library, with full referencing in footnotes. Where I have used my own translations or an alternative edition, additional explanation will usually be given to explain these choices. Any adaptations of the work of other scholars will also be highlighted throughout. For the sake of accessibility, I have chosen to Latinise the majority of Greek names and terms used in this thesis, unless the Greek has become the commonly accepted form. viii Introduction The purpose of this thesis is to look at how social and political themes were reflected through female choral performance in archaic Greece, focusing on the