Women's Voices: Women Writers of Ancient

Women’s Voices: Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome

Lekythos: Paris, Louvre CA 2220 (about 440-430 BC)

AHPG 826 2011

Dr Ian Plant Ancient History Faculty of Arts Macquarie University GENERAL INFORMATION

Convenor

Name: Ian Plant Email: [email protected] Phone: (02) 9850-8880 Office: W6A 538

Contact with Ian is best made:  through the email facility in the unit's webpage  in person in class  in my office at my specified office hours  He is happy to see students at other times too.

General inquiries

Ancient History Department Office Name: Raina Kim Email: [email protected] Phone: +61 2 9850 8833 Office: W6A 541

Unit website http://learn.mq.edu.au

Duration of the unit

The unit runs for 15 weeks There are 13 weeks of online seminars [‘teaching weeks’] There is a two week seminar break between teaching weeks 7 and 8. The examination period follows week 13. There is no examination for this unit; the final essay is due the week after week 13.

Dates for Teaching Weeks

Week 1: Starts August 1st Semester Break: Starts September 19th Week 8: Starts October 4th (public holiday October 3rd) Week 13 finishes: November 11th.

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Women’s Voices: Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome

Introduction There is a general perception that almost all writing in antiquity was done by men. However, some important literature written by women during this period has survived, and many other women writers published work that has not survived. In this course you are asked to read the extant texts by women, from Sappho, who lived in the seventh century BC, through to Eudocia and Egeria in the fifth-sixth centuries AD. The texts come from a wide range of sources: few works have survived intact, and many are known to us only through fragments: literary quotations, scraps of papyrus or even graffiti. Women's literature in the ancient world spanned the fields of poetry and prose. There is lyric, epic and Christian poetry, along with prose works in history, medicine, alchemy, oratory and philosophy. In addition to genuine works by women, antiquity witnessed the creation of pseudonymous texts which where attributed to famous people (including some women). We shall examine these texts to see what they contribute to Graeco-Roman literature, and what they tell us about the lives of women in the Graeco-Roman world.

In this unit you will examine the writings of women from ancient Greece and Rome, studying these texts both as literary texts and as evidence for the lives of women in the ancient world. The aim of the unit is for you to:

 Become acquainted with the evidence for women writers  Put writing by women in the ancient world into its historical contexts  Engage with scholarship on women writers  Develop your research and writing skills

The expected learning outcomes for this unit are

The expected learning outcomes for this unit are:

1. Demonstration of in depth knowledge of the works of women writers from Ancient Greece and Rome This will include specific topics addressed in the seminars and wider knowledge of their texts and the historical and literary contexts in which they were writing. 2. Demonstration of an ability to analyse the work of these writers. This includes demonstration of an ability to offer critical judgement on the theoretical and methodological principles that underpin their work and the different genres in which they worked. 3. Demonstration of an ability to offer advanced critical evaluation of the modern scholarship relevant to the work of these writers. This includes the theoretical and methodological principles that underpin this scholarship. 4. Demonstration of intellectual independence and autonomy especially in research and writing. Students are expected to attempt to go beyond current scholarship in their written work. 5. Demonstration of advanced communication skills, especially in writing. Students are to show this by preparing a research paper at the editorial standard of a journal article. 6. Demonstration of the specific understanding of what is required for publication of a research paper. Students will demonstrate this by preparing a paper to fit the criteria for publication in a relevant academic journal.

Page 3 MACQUARIE POSTGRADUATE CAPABILITIES

This unit has been designed to develop the graduate capabilities designed and recommended by Macquarie University.

Recommended Capabilities The Macquarie core values of Scholarship, Ethical Practice, Sustainability and Engagement are to be seen as the Guiding Principles within which the Curriculum is developed. They serve as a reference point to guide interpretation of both undergraduate and postgraduate capabilities. Acting with integrity underpins all the following capabilities.

Cognitive Capabilities 1. Discipline Knowledge and Skills Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.

2. Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.

3. Research and Problem Solving Capability Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.

Interpersonal and Personal Dispositions

4. Effective Communication Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.

5. Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues

6. Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.

Page 4 How will these objectives be achieved?

Most important is for you to read the relevant ancient sources set for the seminars each week. These are found in your textbook and in a booklet of supplementary texts which I have placed on the unit's website. You are expected to listen to ilecture recordings for each topic. You should engage with the relevant modern scholarship.

The assessment tasks include shorter and longer written assignments: seminar papers and the essays. You are also expected to participate in online discussion. There is about which seminar papers you choose to submit: you are strongly advised to submit at least one before the major essay is due so that you get the benefit of feedback from your tutor before you have to complete your essay. Topics for the major essay are on the unit’s website; here again you have choice in the topic you wish to research and write on.

Successful Completion of the Unit

To complete the unit successfully students need a minimum mark of 50% overall.

Grades: F: 0-49% P: 50-64% CR: 65-74% D: 75-84% HD: 85-100%

Grade descriptors may be found in a separate document on the unit’s website.

Assessment Summary

Online discussion 10% Seminar paper 1 12.5% Seminar paper 2 12.5 % Essay 1 25% Essay 2 40%

POLICIES

Policies and procedures Macquarie Univiersity has a range of policies, including many on learning and teaching. For details, please go to Policy Central (http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/).

Feedback and unit evaluation In this unit you will receive a range of verbal and written feedback on your assessment tasks and work in class or online. A copy of the feedback outline is available on the unit’s website. It details the requirements for each grade.

To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning, the Arts Faculty also seeks feedback from students. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through unit and teacher evaluation surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied with and areas for improvement.

Page 5 ASSESSMENT DETAILS

1. Online discussion Throughout the course you are expected to participate in discussions. Without some kind of weekly contact, it can be all too tempting to disappear off and never return! It is a requirement in this course that you do participate in discussions every week. By ' participate' in these discussions, I mean read the current discussion and make a contribution if you have something to say. You are not obliged to contribute to every discussion, but please do keep yourself up-to-date, and don’t feel shy about expressing an opinion.

Please remember all netiquette rules in regard to posting on the 'Discussions'. You have a responsibility to ensure you respect the views of others. You may not always agree with the comments but never feel you have the right to be abusive or derogatory in any replies you make. Your class mates could be from the next suburb, a country town, Interstate or another Country. Lively discussions are good and valuable, but words can be easily misinterpreted. Insure you read everything before posting. Never post anything in anger. Contact the convener if any messages cause you concern.

Instructions for posting Discussion:

Click on the link in the left hand navigation to open the Discussion. Click on the topic named 'Week 1' Click on the message 'Welcome to AHPG826' read the message. Click the 'Reply' button In the 'Message' area 'type' a short introduction about yourself, your interests, why you are studying this unit, and what your studying e.g. MA in Ancient History, what background knowledge you have, and anything else that is of interest. This message will be useful in the coming weeks as the class involves itself in the topics. Click the 'Post' button The message will now be posted to the topic, to see your message Ensure that the 'Select Topic' box has 'Welcome' selected Click the 'Show all' link.

Assessment of participation:

You are expected to post a comment on the topic of the week each week. You are expected to post at least 12 major postings (ie postings that aren’t replies to other postings but offer a reading or analysis of an aspect of that week’s topic). You are also expected to comment at least once each week on postings by fellow students. You will be assessed on the academic quality of your major postings. By ‘major posting’ I mean a posting where you discuss in depth an aspect of the topic. It does not mean that you have to write a short answer to each question, but that you take one question (or one aspect of that question) and examine it; you might also put up a posting about one of the ancient sources for the week, or one of the pieces of modern scholarship.

Page 6 2. Seminar Papers

There are twelve seminar topics (numbered 2-13) plus the introduction in week 1. Choose two of the twelve topics listed and address the questions for each topic very briefly, in no more than 750 words (about two-three pages). You may answer in point form. However, do make sure that you refer to relevant ancient evidence in your answer. Refer also to relevant modern scholarship. You must include a bibliography of works cited. These papers are not meant to be research essays, and are designed to guide your reading of the evidence for women writers and allow regular contact between each student and me as tutor.

These papers will be worth 25% of the total marks for the unit (combined); each paper is worth 12.5%. The topics chosen may not be the same as those addressed in your essays.

Due Dates for Seminar Papers: Each paper is due on the Friday of the week listed for that topic:

2. Legendary, early, and archaic women writers: fact or fiction? Date Due: Friday, week 2 (12h August)

3. Sappho: her life and work Date Due: Friday, week 3 (19th August)

4. Classical Greece: Women writers of the fifth century BC Date Due: Friday, week 4 (26th August)

5. Hellenistic Greece: the women Poets Date Due: Friday, week 5 (2nd September)

6. Hellenistic Greece: Philosophers Date Due: Friday, week 6 (9th September)

7. Women writers in Rome Date Due: Friday, week 7 (16th September)

8. Roman women in Egypt Date Due: Friday, week 8 (7th October)

9. Graeco-Roman World: Medical & scientific texts Date Due: Friday, week 9 (14th October)

10. St Perpetua: A Christian Martyr Date Due: Friday, week 10 (21st October)

11. Proba: A Christian writer of the Fourth Century AD Date Due: Friday, week 11 (28th October)

12. Egeria: Travel and Christianity in the Roman Empire Date Due: Friday, week 12 (4th November)

13. Eudocia: the Homeric Christian Date Due: Friday, week 13 (11th November)

Submission of Seminar Papers: Submit the paper by emailing it to me as an attachment through the web page for the unit (not directly to my personal email address please). You will find a link for submission on the website. Prepare your paper as a doc file: you may upload this directly, or convert it first to a pdf. Please do not upload your paper as a docx file.

Attach an ARTS faculty coversheet to your paper before you send it.

Arts Coversheet Internal Students who require a coversheet must now generate their own personal coversheet from the Arts website. The address is: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/admin_central/coversheet

Page 7 3. Essays

You are required to submit two research essays for assessment. The first paper will be worth 25% of the total marks for the unit; the second will a longer essay and worth 40%. The word limits are: Essay 1: 1,500 words Essay 2: 2,500 words

Topics: For each essay, choose one of the Seminar topics, and work the questions given in each topic into an essay. For the first essay you should address one of the topics covered in the first seven seminars (seminars 2-7). The second essay may be based on any seminar (except those you have already written on).

Your papers may address the central topics of the seminar, but you may also negotiate changes to specific questions or additional topics you wish to address with me. Your essay must have a question and I advise you to discuss this with me in advance. Send me an email about this in plenty of time. The topics chosen may not be the same as those addressed in your seminar papers.

You should prepare your essay to comply with the submission criteria of a specific academic journal (eg Antichthon, Journal of Hellenic Studies, Classical Quarterly, Historia).

Submission of Essays Submit your essays through the website. Submit the paper by emailing it to me as an attachment through the web page for the unit (not directly to my personal email address please). You will find a link for submission on the website. Prepare your paper as a doc file: you may upload this directly, or convert it first to a pdf. Please do not upload your paper as a docx file.

Due dates for essays Essay 1: due 26th September Essay 2: due 18th November

Attach an ARTS faculty coversheet to your paper before you send it.

Returning written assignments to you

Grade Descriptors: You will find a copy of the Ancient History Grade Descriptors on the unit’s website.

Seminar Papers: External papers will be marked electronically and sent back to students through the website within a week of receipt of the paper (where possible).

Essays: We plan to return essays to internal students within three weeks of submission. Feeback will be returned to students through the unit’s website.

Page 8 ASSIGNMENT EXTENSIONS AND PENALTIES

Late work: All due dates are firm. Permission to submit a late piece of work will only be granted in case of illness or other exceptional cases.

Special Approval: Special approval for late submissions must be sought in advance (where circumstances permit it).

Penalty for late work: Late work for which approval for late submission is not granted will incur a penalty of 2% per day.

Final day for submission of all work: All seminar papers for this course must be submitted by the Friday of week thirteen; the second essay must be submitted by November 18th, unless there are special circumstances (normally illness or serious misadventure) and unless an extension of time has been granted by the Unit Convenor or the Dean of Arts.

Special Approval

The Faculty of Arts now has a webpage where online applications may be made for: Special Approval Waivers Grade Reviews Grade Appeals Go to: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/admin_central And click on the appropriate type of approval you are requesting.

Page 9 SEMINAR PROGRAM

The teaching programme consists of twelve seminars (plus an introduction in week one). I will record some introductory comments for each topic and post this on the unit’s website. Students are expected to participate by taking up the weekly topics and contributing to the discussion board on the webpage—this can be done both prior to and after the week of the seminar.

Week Seminar Topics

1. Introduction 2. Legendary, early, and archaic women writers: fact or fiction? 3. Sappho: her life and work 4. Classical Greece: Women writers of the fifth century BC 5. Hellenistic Greece: the women Poet. 6. Hellenistic Greece: Philosophers 7. Women writers in Rome

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

8. Roman women in Egypt 9. Graeco-Roman World: Medical & scientific texts 10. St Perpetua: A Christian Martyr 11. Proba: A Christian writer of the Fourth Century AD 12. Egeria: Travel and Christianity in the Roman Empire 13. Eudocia: the Homeric Christian

TEXTBOOK I.M. Plant, Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome (Equinox Press: London, 2004; University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 2004). This has translations of the principal ancient sources you will need for this course.

Further sources I have put together a collection of supplementary ancient sources for women writers. This is intended to complement the readings in the textbook. I have put this on the unit's website. Some addition ancient sources can also be found on the unit’s website.

Modern Scholarship I have placed a number of modern articles and extracts from books in the E-Reserve section of the library.

To access Ereserve go to: http://www.lib.mq.edu.au/resources/reserve/. Enter the Unit code AHPG826 in the relevant box Click the Go button or hit the Enter or Return key on your keyboard The results of your search –the electronic versions of these articles and chapters—will appear.

Due to copyright restrictions, only one chapter or 10% of books may be placed in E-Reserve, so in some cases I have had to choose only part of a relevant work for inclusion.

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Further Reading

Lardinois, A. & McClure, L. (eds.) Making Silence Speak: Women’s Voices in Greek Literature and Society (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001). Snyder, J.M. The Woman and the Lyre: Women Writers in Classical Greece and Rome (Carbondale & Edwardsville, 1989).

Other Collections

Balmer, J. Classical Women Poets (Newcastle: Bloodaxe Books, 1996). Lefkowitz, M. R. & Fant, M. B. Women’s Life in Greece & Rome: A Source Book in Translation (2nd Ed. Baltimore, 1992). Rayor, D. J. Sappho’s Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991). Wilson-Kastner,P. et al. (eds.) A Lost Tradition: Women Writers of the Early Church (Lanham, New York, London: University Press of America, 1981).

Dr I.M. Plant W6A 538 [email protected]

Page 11 Women’s Voices: Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome

SEMINAR TOPICS

2. Legendary, early, and archaic women writers: fact or fiction?

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Astyanassa, Greek erotic prose; figure of legend–the maid of Helen and Menelaus. Name used for pseudonymous erotic literature. No work extant (Suda s.v.). Cleobulina. Greek lyric poetry (riddles); Rhodes? c. 6th century BC? Extant work: 3 riddles. She was also known as Eumetis. Iambe, Greek iambic poetry; the mythical daughter of Pan and Echo, inventor of iambic poetry (Apollodorus 1.5.1, Homeric Hymn to Demeter 202, Eustathius on Homer’s Odyssey 1684). Phanothea, Greek poetry (hexameters); mythological figure, said to have invented the hexameter (Clement of Alexandria Miscellanies 1.366, Stob. Anthology 21.26). Phantasia, Greek epic poetry; Memphis, 8th century BC. Legendary figure, said to have predated Homer, and been his source for the Iliad and Odyssey (Ptolemaeus Chennus in Photius 190.151a-b). Phemonoë, Greek poetry (Pythian oracles). Delphi, date uncertain - said to have been the first Pythian prophet and to have invented the hexameter. Extant work: two attested fragments (Pausanias 10.6.6; Pliny NH 10.3.7, 10.9.21; cf. also Anecd. Gracea Oxon. III p. 189.19). Sibylla, Greek poetry (hexameter oracles); figure of legend, said to have been the first woman to give oracles at Delphi (Pausanias 10.12.1). Themistocleia, Greek poetry (Pythian oracles); Delphi, date uncertain, probably fictitious. No work extant; said to have been the source for Pythagoras' doctrine (Aristoxenus frg.2; Diogenes Laertius 8.1.8, .21). Xenocleia Greek poetry (Pythian oracles); Delphi, date unknown, said to have been in the time of Heracles. Extant work: one attested fragment (Pausanias 10.13.8).

Questions to consider: What is the evidence for these writers? With what sorts of writing are they associated? Are they fact or fiction? If they were invented, why were they invented, and what does that tells us about perceptions of women and writing in the Greek world?

Modern Scholarship: Fontenrose, J. ‘The Mantic Session’, in The Delphic Oracle (Berkeley, 1978) Chapter 7, pp 196- 232 Pomeroy, S.B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (New York: Schocken, 1975) 93-119. Gould, J.P. ‘Law, Custom and Myth: Aspects of the Social Position of Women in Classical Athens’ JHS 100 (1980) 38-59 Pomeroy, S.B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (New York: Schocken, 1975) 93-119.

Page 12 3. Sappho: her life and work

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Sappho, Greek lyric poetry; Lesbos, 7th-6th century BC; fl. c. 620-600 BC. Extant work: 200+ fragments.

Additional Texts: For Sappho’s life, see Campbell, pp. 3-51

Questions to consider: Who was Sappho? What do we know about her life? To what extent can we construct the poet from her poetry? What did she write? How important is she in the history of Greek literature? What marks her work as the work of a woman? Was Sappho a Lesbian (in the modern sense of the word)?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve)

Campbell, D.A. Greek Lyric Vol. I (Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1982; 1990) 3-51 Lardinois, A. ‘Keening Sappho: Female Speech and Genres in Sappho’s Poetry’ in Lardinois & McClure (eds.), Making Silence Speak (Princeton, 2001) 89-91. Parker, H. N. ‘Sappho Schoolmistress’ TAPA 123 (1993) 309-51. Wilson, L. H. Sappho's Sweet Bitter Songs (London, 1996) pp. 68-86. Hallet, J.P. ‘Sappho and her Social Context: Sense and Sensuality’ in Greene, E (ed.) Reading Sappho Berkeley (1996) chapter 8, pp125-142

(For further research) duBois, P. Sappho is Burning (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995) 1-30. Green, E. ‘Introduction’ in Greene, E. (ed.) Re-Reading Sappho: Reception and Transmission (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996) pp. 1-9 Snyder, McI. J. Lesbian Desire in the Lyrics of Sappho (New York, 1997) 7-27. Wilson, M. Sappho’s Immortal Daughters (Camb. Mass.: Harvard, 1995) 5-33. Johnson, M. Sappho (London, Bristol Classical Press (Duckworth), 2007) 19-40 William Harris, 'Sappho: New Poem No. 58 from the Koln papyrus' www.middlebury.edu/~harris [see unit website]

Page 13 4. Classical Greece: Women writers of the fifth century BC

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Aristonice, Greek poetry (Pythian oracles); Delphi, c. 480 BC. Extant work: two attested fragments (Herodotus 7.140-41). Aspasia, Greek lyric poetry & prose (epigrams & rhetoric); Miletus & Athens, 5th century BC. No work extant, but some pseudonymous literature attributed to her (Anth. Plan. 4.17, 5.6, Plato Menexenus). Charixena, Greek lyric poetry; Athens (?), c. 5th century BC. No work extant (Suda s.v., Etymologicum Magnum 36.7.21). Cleitagora, Greek lyric poetry (drinking songs?); Sparta (or perhaps Thessaly), 5th century BC. No work extant (Suda s.v., Schol. on Ar. Lysistrata 1237 & Wasps 1245). Eurydice, Greek lyric poetry (epigram); Macedonia, 4th century BC. One verse epigram extant (and two short dedicatory inscriptions). Myia II, Greek lyric poetry; Sparta, 5th or 3rd century BC (?). No work extant. Wrote hymns to Apollo and Artemis (Suda s. v.). Myrtis , Greek lyric poetry; Anthedon, 5th century BC. Extant work: a prose summary of one of her poems. Perialla, Greek poetry (Pythian oracles); Delphi, c. 495 BC. No work extant (Herodotus 6.66). Praxilla, Greek lyric poetry (dithyrambs, hymns and scolia); Sicyon, mid-5th century BC. Extant work: 6 fragments. Telesilla, Greek lyric poetry; Argos, early 5th century BC. Extant work: 5 short fragments.

Questions to consider:

Who were the women poets of Classical Greece? What did they write? Do they reveal anything about themselves in their work? How important is their work in the history of Greek literature? Why were there not more women writers from this period?

Modern Scholarship:(Ereserve)

Beck, F. Album of Greek Education (Sydney: Cheiron, 1975) 55-62 with plates 69-88. Beck, F. ‘The Schooling of Girls in Ancient Greece. Classicum 9 (April, 1978) 1-9. Cole, S. G. 'Could Greek Women Read and Write' in Foley H.P. (ed.) Reflections of Women in Antiquity (New York, 1981) 219-45. Henry, M. M. Prisoner of History: Aspasia of Miletus and Her Biographical Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995) 57-81. Lefkowitz, M. Lives of the Greek Poets (London: Duckworth, 1981) 57-66. Podlecki, A.J. Perikles and his Circle (London: Routledge, 1998) 109-117. Pomeroy, S.B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (New York: Schocken, 1975) 93-119. Snyder, J.M. The Woman and the Lyre: Women Writers in Classical Greece and Rome (Carbondale & Edwardsville: Southern Illinois,1989) 38-63.

Page 14 5. Hellenistic Greece: the women Poets

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Alcinoë, Greek erotic poetry; Thronion, 3rd century BC. No work extant. (IG 12.5, 812) Anyte, Greek lyric poetry (epigrams); Tegea, c. 300 BC. Extant work: 21 of 24 extant epigrams attributed to her. Aristodama, Greek epic poetry; Smyrna, c. 220 BC. No work extant (IG 9.2.62). Aristomache, Greek poetry; Erythrae, 3rd century BC. No work extant. Boeo, Greek lyric poetry (epigrams); Delphi, 3rd century BC ? Extant work: two fragments of a Delphic hymn. Cleito, Greek lyric (?) poetry; origins unknown; 4th century BC or earlier. No work extant (Tatian, Oration to the Greeks 33). Corinna, Greek lyric poetry; Tanagra, 3rd century BC (though ancient sources place her in the 5th century BC). Extant work: about 42 fragments. Erinna, Greek lyric poetry; Rhodes or Telos, c. 350 BC. Extant work: 7 poems (some fragments). Glauce, Greek lyric poetry; Chios, c. 300 BC. No work extant (Theocritus Idyl 4.30). Hedyle, Greek elegiac poetry; Athens, second half of the 4th century BC. Extant work: 1 fragment. Learchis, Greek lyric (?) poetry; origins unknown; 4th century BC or earlier. No work extant (Tatian, Oration to the Greeks 33). Melinno, Greek lyric poetry; Lesbos (?) c. 200-150 BC. Extant work: one hymn. Mnesiarchis, Greek lyric (?) poetry; Euboea, 4th century BC (or earlier). No work extant (Tatian, Oration to the Greeks 33). Moero, Greek lyric and epic poetry; Byzantium, c. 300 BC. Extant work: three poems. She was also known as Myro. Moschine, Greek poetry; Athens, c. 320 BC (mother of Hedyle). No work extant (Athen. 7.297 A- B). Mystis, Greek lyric (?) poetry; date and origins unknown (before AD 165). No work extant (Tatian, Oration to the Greeks 33). Nossis, Greek lyric poetry (epigrams); Locri, c. 300 BC. Extant work: 12 epigrams. Parthenis, Greek lyric poetry (epigrams); origins unknown, before 100 BC. No work extant (Meleager Anth. Pal. 4.1.31-2). Phaënnis, Greek poetry (oracles); Dodona, daughter of the king of the Chaonians, born c. 280 BC. Extant work: one fragment a verse prophecy (Pausanias10.15.2, cf. 10.12.5). Philaenis, Greek erotic prose; Leucas, 4th century BC. Extant work: one fragment on papyrus (P. Oxy. 2891; for testimonia see Athen. 220F, 335b-d, 457e, Polybius XII 13.1, Anth. Pal. VII 450). Salpe, Greek paignia (frivolous works), possibly pornography; Lesbos, date uncertain (3rd century BC ?). No work extant (Athen. 322 A, = Nymphodorus of Syracuse, FGH 572 F5 cf. Polybius 12.13= Timaeus FGH 566 T2). Theano II, Greek lyric poetry; Locri, date unknown, but among the ‘early writers’ (perhaps 3rd century BC). No work extant (Suda s.v., Eustathius On the Iliad 2.327.10, Clement of Alexandria Miscellanies 1.80.3).

Questions to consider: Who were the women poets of Hellenistic Greece? What do we know about their lives? How do we know they were women? How important is their work in the history of Greek literature? Were there more women writers in this period than earlier? If so, why?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Barnard, S. ‘Hellenistic Women Poets’ Classical Journal 73 (1978) 204-13. Fantham, E. ‘The Hellenistic Period: Women in a Cosmopolitan World’ in Fantham E. et al (eds.) Women in the Classical World (Oxford: Oxford UP., 1994) 136-82. Pomeroy, S. B. ‘Technikai kai mousikai: The Education of Women in the Fourth Century and in the Hellenistic Period’ American Journal of History 2 (1977) 51-68.

Page 15 Skinner, M. 'Corinna of Tanagra and her Audience' Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature 2 (1983) 9-20. Skinner, M. B. ‘Nossis Thelyglossos: The Private Text and the Public Book’ in Pomeroy, S.B. (ed.) Women’s History and Ancient History (Chapel Hill, 1991) 20-47. Skinner, M. B. ‘Sapphic Nossis’ Arethusa 22 (1989) 5-18.

Further Reading McClure, L.K. Courtesans at Table: Gender and Greek Literary Culture in Athenaeus (Routledge; London, 2003) West, M.L. ‘Erinna’ ZPE 25 (1977) 95-119

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6. Hellenistic Greece: Philosophers

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Arignote, Greek philosophy; Croton ?, c. 500 BC. Extant work: some later Neo-Pythagorean (pseudonymous ?) literature ascribed to her; wrote a history of Dionysius (Clement of Alexandria Stromata 4.7). Myia Greek philosophy; Croton ?, c. 500 BC. No genuine work extant (some Neo-Pythagorean pseudonymous literature of the 3rd century BC ascribed to her). Theano, Greek philosophy; Croton (?) c. 515 BC. Extant work: some Neo-Pythagorean pseudonymous literature (mostly of the 3rd century BC) ascribed to her. Hipparchia, Greek prose (philosophy); Thebes, 4th century BC. No work extant. A Cynic philosopher (Suda s. v. Hipparchia). Leontion, Greek prose (philosophy); Athenian 4th–3rd centuries BC. No work extant; she was an Epicurean (Cicero Nature of the gods 1.93, Diog. Laert. 10.4-7, .23, Athen. 13.588b; Plin. Preface 29 may refer to her). Aesara, Greek philosophy; Lucania, 3rd century BC. Extant work: some Neo-Pythagorean (pseudonymous?) literature ascribed to her (Stob. 1.49.27). Melissa, Greek philosophy; Samos, c. 3rd century BC. Extant work: some Neo-Pythagorean (pseudonymous ?) literature ascribed to her. Perictione, Greek prose (philosophy); Alexandria(?), 4th-3rd centuries BC. Extant work: some Neo- Pythagorean pseudonymous (?) literature ascribed to her. Perictione II, Greek prose (philosophy); Alexandria(?), 3rd-2nd centuries BC. Extant work: some Neo-Pythagorean pseudonymous (?) literature ascribed to her. Phintys, Greek philosophy; Sparta (?) 3rd century BC (?) Extant work: some Neo-Pythagorean pseudonymous (?) literature ascribed to her.

(See also Iamblichus, Life of Pythagoras 36)

Questions to consider: What works are ascribed to women philosophers? Are any of them genuine? Why might they be considered pseudonymous works? What do such works—authentic and pseudonymous—tell us about the lives of women in the Greek world in the third century BC (or thereabouts)?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Fideler, D.R. ‘Introduction’ in Guthrie, K.S. The Pythagorean Sourcebook and Library (Grand Rapids: Phanes, 1987) 19-48. Pomeroy, S. B. Women in Hellenistic Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra (New York, 1984) 41- 82. Thesleff, H. ‘An introduction to the Pythagorean Writings of the Hellenistic Period’ Acta Academiae Aboensis, Humaniora 24.3 (Abo, 1961) 71-77, 96-116. Waithe, M. E. A History of Women Philosophers Vol. 1 (Dodrecht, Boston, Lancaster, 1987) 59- 74.

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7. Women writers in Rome

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Agrippina Latin prose (history); Rome, AD 26. No work extant, but her family history used as a source by Tacitus, (Tacitus Annals 4.53; Plin. 7.46). Clodia, Latin poetry, plays; 1st century BC. No extant work. Cicero alludes to her work (Cic. Cael. 64). Cornelia, Latin prose (rhetoric); Rome, 2nd century BC. Extant work: fragments of two letters (authenticity in doubt). Cornificia, Latin poetry (epigrams); Rome, 1st century BC. No work extant (Jerome Chron. Ol. 184.4). Cynthia, Greek lyric poetry; Rome, 1st century BC. No work extant: Propertius praises her poetry (Elegies 2.3.21-2). Apuleius claims that her real name was Hostia (Apology 10), though she may be fictional. Hortensia, Latin prose (rhetoric); Rome, 42 BC. No work extant, but one speech reported by Appian (Civil Wars 4.32-4). Hostia, Apuleius tells us this was the real name of Propertius’ Cynthia (Apology 10). See Cynthia above. Perilla, Latin poetry; Rome, early 1st century AD. No work extant. Ovid, probably her step-father, mentions her work, but it is not known if she published any of it (Ovid, Tristia 3.7). Sempronia, Latin poetry; Rome, 1st century BC. No work extant (Sallust Conspiracy of Catiline 25). Sulpicia I, Latin elegiac poetry; Rome, late 1st century BC. Extant work: 11 (or only 8?) elegies preserved in the corpus of Tibullus. Sulpicia II, Latin poetry (satire); Rome, late 1st century AD. Extant work: 2 lines; a 70 line poem in her name is also extant. Vestal, (An unnamed Vestal virgin.) Latin verse; Rome, 1st century BC. One hexameter verse extant (Seneca the Elder Contr. 6.8).

Questions to consider: What poetry and prose do we have by Roman women writers? Why is there so little? Is it safe to accept the works attributed to Cornelia and Sulpicia as genuine? How secure is the attribution of other fragments to Roman women?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Bauman, R.A. Women and Politics in Ancient Rome (London, Routledge, 1992) 42-45, 81-83. Bradley, J.R. ‘The Elegies of Sulpicia: and introduction and commentary’ New England Classical Newsletter 22.4 (1994-5) 159-64. Butler, H.E. Post-Augustan Poetry (London: Garland, 1977: Oxford: Clarendon, 1909) 174-178 Butrica, J.L.P. ‘Sulpicia’s complaint on the state of the nation and the age of Domitian’ Diotima (2000) : http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/complaint.shtml. Gratwick, A.S. ‘Prose Literature’ in Kenney, E.J. and Clausen, W.V. (eds.) The Cambridge History of Classical Literature, II. Latin Literature (Cambridge, Cambridge UP., 1982) 145-46. Hemelrijk, E. A. Matrona Docta: Educated Women in the Roman Elite from Cornelia to Julia Domna (London, New York: Routledge, 1999) 64-68, 193-7, 203-6. Horsfall, N. ‘The “Letter of Cornelia”: yet more problems’ Athenaeum 65 (1987) 231-4. Merriam, C.U. ‘The Other Sulpicia’, Classical World 84.4 (1991) 303-5 Richlin, A. ‘Sulpicia the Satirist’ Classical World 86.2 (1992) 125-39. Santirocco, M. ‘Sulpicia reconsidered’ Classical Journal 74 (1979) 229-39.

Page 18 8. Roman women in Egypt and Briton

Caecilia Trebulla Greek iambic poetry (epigrams); Roman, fl. c. 130 AD. Extant work: three poems inscribed as graffiti on the Colossus of Memnon at Thebes, Egypt. Demo Greek lyric poetry (epigram); Greek, date uncertain, but probably early 2nd century AD. Author of one poem extant on Colossus of Memnon at Thebes, Egypt, as graffiti (Bernard 83). (Also known as Damo). Dionysia Greek lyric poetry (epigram); place of origin unknown, 2nd century AD. Extant work: one short inscription as graffiti on the Colossus of Memnon at Thebes, Egypt (Bernard, 66). Funisulana Vettulla Latin prose (graffiti); Thebes, Egypt, AD 82; one inscription on the Colossus of Memnon (Bernard 8). Julia Balbilla Greek elegiac poetry (epigrams); Roman, second century AD. Extant work: four poems inscribed c. AD 130 as graffiti on the Colossus of Memnon at Thebes, Egypt. Julia Saturnina Greek prose (graffiti); Roman, 2nd century AD. Extant work: one short inscription as graffiti on the Colossus of Memnon at Thebes, Egypt (Bernard, 65). Plotina Augusta Greek & Latin prose (letters); Wife of Roman emperor Trajan, she died about AD 121. Extant work: one letter to the Athenian Epicurians, and one petition to Hadrian, both inscribed on marble (IG II2 1099, ILS 7784). Terentia Latin poetry; Rome/Egypt, 2nd century AD. Extant work: one epitaph to her brother, once inscribed on the pyramid of Cheops.

Private Correspondence from VINDOLANDA (see Vindolanda texts on unit website) 257 Valatta to Cerialis 291-94 Correspondence of Sulpicia Lepidina 291 Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina 292 Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina 293 Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina 294 Paterna (?) to Sulpicia Lepidina 324 Probably by a woman; name lost

Questions to consider: Who wrote this ‘literary’ graffiti in Egypt? What did they write? Why were they there? Discuss briefly the evidence of women’s private correspondence from Vindolanda. What do the writings from Egypt and Briton reveal about the lives of Roman women in this period

Modern Scholarship: Bowie, E.L. ‘Greek Poetry in the Antonine Age’ in D.A. Russell (ed.) Antonine Literature (Oxford, 1990) 61-63. West, M. L. ‘Balbilla did not save Memnon’s Soul’ ZPE 25 (1977) 120. Hemelrijk, E.A. Matrona Docta: Educated Women in the Roman Elite from Cornelia to Julia Domna (London, New York: Routledge, 1999) 147-176. Bernard, A. ‘The singing statues of Amenhotep III’ (2001) www.clio.fr/BIBLIOT Rosenmeyer, P. ‘ Greek Verse Inscriptions in Roman Egypt: Julia Balbilla’s Sapphic Voice’ Classical Antiquity 27 (2008) 334-358.

Vindoland Tablets Online: http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/

Page 19 9. Graeco-Roman World: Medical & scientific texts

Ancient Writers to read or read about this week:

Medicine

Aspasia II Greek prose (medicine); second century AD. No work extent. She wrote on gynaecology and obstetrix. Cleopatra Greek prose: medicines; Alexandria, 1st century AD Incorrectly identified as Queen Cleopatra VII. Extant work: fragments preserved by Galen, Aëtius, Paulus Aegineta. Elephantis Greek erotic prose and medicines; Greek, from Elephantis? Late 1st century BC. No work extant, but cited and paraphrased by Pliny (28.81). Fabulla Latin ? prose (medicines); Libya, before AD 210. Extant work: two medicines quoted by Galen. Laïs Greek prose (medicines); Before AD 79 (cf. Laïs the famous hetaera from Hyccara, fl. 416 BC). No work extant, but cited and paraphrased by Pliny (28.81, 82). Maia Greek prose (medicines); origins unknown: name generic, used as a title by midwives; before AD 210. Extant work: one short fragment in Galen. Metrodora Greek prose (medicine); 2nd century AD. Extant work: treatise entitled On the female suffering of the mother (Laur. 75.3f.4-33). Philinna Greek poetry (enchantments in hexameters); Thessaly, date unknown: first century BC or earlier. Extant work: one papyrus fragment. Salpe Greek prose (medicines); before 79 AD. Extant work: cited and paraphrased by Pliny. Samithra Greek prose (medicines); origin and date uncertain, before AD 210. Extant work: one fragment quoted by Galen (13.310). Sotira Greek prose (medicines); origins unknown, before AD 79. Extant work: cited and paraphrased by Pliny (28.83). Syra (= the Syrian; name lost from manuscript) Greek poetry (enchantments in hexameters); Syria, date unknown: first century BC or earlier. Extant work: one papyrus fragment. Xanite Greek prose (medicines); origin and date uncertain, before AD 210. Extant work: one fragment (Galen 13.311).

Alchemy

Cleopatra II Greek prose (alchemy); Alexandria, 1st-3rd centuries AD? Pseudonym (?) for a Greek alchemical writer, cited by Olympiodorus and Zosimus. Maria Greek prose (alchemy); Jewish, date uncertain: 1st century AD? Her name is generally thought to be a pseudonym. Extant work: numerous fragments in Olympiodorus and Zosimus. Isis Greek prose (alchemy); Greek Egyptian, c. 1st century AD? Pseudonym of alchemist. Extant work: an address to her son Horus (CAG II.28-33). Theosebeia II Greek prose (alchemy); 3rd–4th centuries AD. Extant work: collaborated with her brother Zosimus in composing an alchemical encyclopaedia in 28 books, of which there are substantial fragments. (Suda; cf. CAG II.148, 153-4, 156 etc).

Page 20 Questions to consider: What works are attributed to Maria and Cleopatra? Are the works of Maria pseudonymous? Why were they attributed to her? Are the works of Cleopatra pseudonymous? Why were they attributed to her?

What evidence do the medical works provide for the roles of women in Graeco-Roman medicine?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve)

Irby-Massie, G. L. ‘Women in Ancient Science’, in M. DeForest (ed.) Woman’s Power, Man’s Game (Wauconda: Bolchazy-Carducci, 1993) pp. 354-72. Keyser, P. T. ‘Alchemy in the ancient world: from science to magic’ Illinois Classical Studies 15 (1990) 353-378. Lindsay, J. The Origins of Alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt (London: Muller, 1970) 240-52. Patai, R. ‘Maria the Jewess: Founding Mother of Alchemy’ Ambix 29 (1982) 177-97. Richlin, A. ‘Pliny’s Brassiere’ in McClure, L.K. (ed.) Sexuality and Gender in the Classical World (Oxford: Blackwell, 2002) 224-255. Rowlandson, J. Women and Society in Greek and Roman Egypt (Cambridge: Cambridge UP., 1998) 354-368. Taylor, F. S. ‘A Survey of Greek Alchemy’ Journal of Hellenic Studies 50 (1930) 109-39. Taylor, F. S. ‘The Origins of Greek Alchemy’ Ambix 1 (1937-8) 30-47.

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10. St Perpetua: A Christian Martyr

Ancient Writer to read or read about this week:

Perpetua Latin prose (autobiography); Carthage, AD 181-203. Extant work: one work attributed to her, an account of her arrest and trial in AD 203, leading up to her martyrdom (Acts of the Christian Martyrs 8.2-10).

For the full story of her martydom, see Shewring’s translation of The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity (on the unit’s website)

For a comparable trial, see Pliny the Younger Letters 10.96-97

Questions to consider:

Who was Perpetua? What do we know about her life? Why did she write? Did she write in Greek or Latin? Is there any doubt that Perpetua should be credited with the story of her martyrdom?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Bremmer, J.N. ‘Perpetua and her Diary: Authenticity, Family and Visions’ in Ameling W.(ed) Märtyrer und Märtyrerakten (Stuttgart, 2002) 77-120 Robeck, C. M. Prophecy in Carthage: Perpetua, Tertullian, and Cyprian (Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 1992) 11-18. Robinson, J. A. Passio Perpetua. Texts and Studies; contributions to Biblical and patristic literature 1.2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1891) chapter 1. Shaw, B. ‘The Passion of Perpetua’ Past and Present 139 (Oxford University Press: 1993) 3-45. [in JSTOR]

Further Reading: Rader, R. ‘The Martyrdom of Perpetua: A Protest Account of Third-Century Christianity’ in P. Wilson-Kastner (et al.) eds. A Lost Tradition: Women Writers of the Early Church (Lanham, New York, London: University Press of America, 1981) 1-32. Salisbury, J. E. Perpetua’s Passion: the Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman (London, New York: Routledge, 1997). Kraemer, R.S. & Lander, S.L. ‘Perpetua and Felicitas’ in Esler, P.E. (ed.) The Early Christian World (London, 2000) chpt 41 [On the absence of mention of her husband] Osiek, C. ‘Perpetua’s Husband’ Journal of Early Christian Studies 10:2 (John Hopkins University Press, 2002) 287-290. www.muse.jhu.edu Cooper, K. ‘Closely Watched Households: Visibility, Exposure and Private Power in the Roman Domus’ Past and Present 197 (University of Manchester: 2007) 3-33. http://past.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/197/1/3

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11. Proba: A Christian writer of the Fourth Century AD

Ancient Writer to read or read about this week:

Proba Latin epic poetry (and cento); Rome, AD c. 322–c. 370. Extant work: 1 Christian Virgilian cento. Her full name was Faltonia Betitia Proba.

Questions to consider: Who was this Proba? Who do we identify her? What is a Virgilian Cento? Why did Proba write a Virgilian Cento on a Christian theme?

Do we find a distinctly female interpretation of Eve and Mary in her work?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Clark, E. A. & Hatch, D. F. The Golden Bough, The Oaken Cross: The Virgilian Cento of Faltonia Betitia Proba (Chicago: Scholars Press, 1981) 1-9. Green, R. P. H. 'Proba's Cento: Its Date, Purpose, and Reception' Classical Quarterly 45 (1995) 551-63 Green, R.P.H. ‘Proba's introduction to her Cento.’ Classical Quarterly, 47 (1997), 548-59 Kyriakidis, S. ‘Eve and Mary: Proba’s Technique in the Creation of Two Different Female Figures’ MD 29 (1992) 121-53. Schnapp, Jeffrey. ‘Reading lessons: Augustine, Proba, & the Christian detournement of antiquity.’ Stanford Literature Review, 9 (1992), 99-124.

Additional Reading: McGill, Scott ‘Virgil, Christianity, and the Cento Probae,’ Scourfield J.H.D. (ed.) Texts and culture in Late Antiquity: inheritance, authority, and change (Swansea, Classical Press of Wales, 2007 Meconi, David Vincent. ‘The Christian cento and the evangelization of Christian culture.’ Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 7:4 (2004), 109-32. Matthews John, ‘The Poetess Proba and Fourth-century Rome: Questions of Interpretation,’in Christol, M. et al. (eds.) Institutions, societe et vie politique dans l'empire romain au IVe siecle ap. J.-C.: actes de la table ronde autour de l'uvre d'Andre Chastagnol (Paris, 20-21 Janvier 1989) Collection de l'Ecole française de Rome; 159 [Rome] (Ecole française de Rome, Paris, Diffusion de Boccard, 1992).

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12. Egeria: Travel and Christianity in the Roman Empire

Ancient Writer to read or read about this week:

Egeria Latin prose (travel diary); Galicia (Western Spain) early 5thcentury AD. Extant work: travel journal and description of Christian liturgy in Jerusalem. She is also known as Aetheria and Silvia Aquitana.

For context see also: Jerome Letter 108 To Eustochium on Paula and Gregory of Nyssa The Life of Macrina.

Questions to consider: Who was Egeria? Do we even know her name? What did she write? Who did she write for? What do we learn about the writer and the intended reader from her work?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Dietz, Maribel. Wandering monks, virgins, and pilgrims: ascetic travel in the Mediterranean world, A.D. 300-800. (University Park, Pa.Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005) pp.43-54. Gingras, G. E. Egeria: Diary of a Pilgrimage (New York: Newman Press, 1970) 1-47. Sivan, H. ‘Who was Egeria? Piety and Pilgrimage in the age of Gratian’ Havard Theological Review 81.1 (1988) 59-72. Wilkinson, J. Egeria’s Travels (London: S.P.C.K., 1971) 3-30.

Further Reading: Reuling, H. ‘Pious Intrepidness: Egeria and the Ascetic Ideal,’ in Marcel Poorthuis & Joshua Schwartz (eds.) Saints and role models in Judaism and Christianity. (Leiden, Brill, 2004) pp. 243-260. Sivan, H. ‘Holy Land pilgrimage and western audiences: Some reflections on Egeria and her circle.’ Classical Quarterly 38.2 (1988): 528-535. Wilson-Kastner, P. ‘Introduction: The Pilgrimage of Egeria’ in P. Wilson-Kastner et al. (eds.) A Lost Tradition: Women Writers of the Early Church (Lanham, New York, London: University Press of America, 1981) pp. 71-83.

Page 24 13. Eudocia: the Homeric Christian

Ancient Writer to read or read about this week:

Eudocia Augusta Greek epic poetry (Christian); Byzantium and Jerusalem, c. AD 400-460. Extant work: epic (about 900 lines) and a papyrus fragment. Also known as Aelia Eudocia, Eudoxia Augusta, and Athenaïs.

Questions to consider: Who was Eudocia? What do we know about her life? What did she write? Who did she write for? What do we learn about the writer and the intended reader from her work?

Modern Scholarship: (Ereserve) Cameron, Alan. 1982. 'The empress and the poet: paganism and politics at the court of Theodosius II', Yale Classical Studies 27: 217-89. Kastner, G. R. ‘Introduction to Eudokia’s "Martyrdom of St. Cyprian"‘ in P. Wilson-Kastner et al. (eds.) A Lost Tradition: Women Writers of the Early Church (Lanham, New York, London: University Press of America, 1981) pp. 135-58. Usher, M.D., Homeric Stitchings: The Homeric Centos of the Empress Eudocia (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 1998) 9-17. Sowers, B.P. Eudocia: the making of a Homeric Christian. Dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2008. Available online at: http://www.technischedaten.com/view/b.-p.-sowers,-eudocia:- the-making-of-a-homeric-christian/38938333/1z45tpd4exjjxfjq41fn/

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