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The Leucippides in Greek Myth: Abductions, Rituals and Weddings Claudia Baldassi PhD Classics The University of Edinburgh 2018 I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where stated otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. Claudia Baldassi I Abstract This project focuses on the myth of the Leucippides. The two daughters of the Messenian king Leucippus, occasionally identified as Phoibe and Hilaeira, are mostly known for being abducted by the Dioscuri in a secondary episode of the Dioscuri’s life. Their story is short and lacking in details, but it has a huge potential for an interdisciplinary approach meant to highlight the relevance and diversity of uses of an allegedly minor myth. The sources available are limited in number but span the sixth – possibly seventh – century BC to the Imperial age and are spread throughout Greece and Magna Graecia. It is doubtless a persistent and widespread myth. I have chosen an innovative transversal approach, rarely used in the field, to pursue the clearest and most complete picture of the Leucippides possible given the current state of knowledge. All primary sources – ranging from poetry to historiography, epigraphy, visual arts and archaeology – have been considered. Every source has been analysed in its individuality, against its cultural backdrop and, finally, in relation to the others. This research pursues a better understanding of the story of the Leucippides. At its core, my study aims to take a step further than the mere collection and description of all sources available; my goal is the identification of the meanings and ways of use of our myth in different contexts in the Greek world and, where possible, the recognition of larger trends that bypassed geographical boundaries. In particular, the present research investigates the relationship between the myth of the Leucippides and its wider social and cultural context, inside the society in which it appears, taking into due account the different times and places. I analyse a series of points of interest that isolate the Leucippides from the backdrop of similar myths. The story of the Leucippides, in fact, contributes to the discussion of female identity-making processes in Greece, of active relationships between myth and society, of the cultural and exemplary nature of abduction stories and their connection to marriage, and of the transmission, geographical expansion and reception of myth in different contexts. This study is innovative in its approach to the entirety of sources available and unique in its reconstruction of a long-neglected myth and of its interaction with more II articulated questions concerning society and culture. Given the large number of secondary characters in Greek myth and the limited pool of studies devoted to them so far, studies such as mine could serve as a model for others to follow. This study will be a stepping stone for further studies on the Dioscuri and Helen through the family and the thematic connections tying them to the Leucippides, but also for comparative approaches to abduction and related Indo-European myths. III Lay Summary In a scarcely attested episode of Greek myth, the Leucippides (the two daughters of the Messenian king Leucippus) are abducted by the Dioscuri (Spartan twin heroes, sons of Zeus), who desire to marry them. In this research, the story of the Leucippides will be used as a case study to investigate the interactions and reciprocal influences of myth and historical society in ancient Greece. Myth, in fact, was a pervasive element in ancient Greek society; it was the favourite topic of poets and artists, it was entwined with religion and shaped the collective memory of the past. Most myths were multifaceted and could be productively used in different contexts with different focuses and messages. The story of the Leucippides is set against this backdrop. I shall identify and analyse the core traits of this episode and its social, religious and even political inflexions. By examining where, when and how it was represented, I shall suggest possible interpretations of how the abduction of the Leucippides was used to transmit specific messages and was contextually read by its users. In particular, I aim to demonstrate the exemplariness of our myth for rites of passage concerning girls entering adulthood and preparing for marriage. Although similar stories are known to Greek mythology, the abduction of the Leucippides, in fact, stands out for its geographical spread, chronological persistence and regularity of traits. Therefore, this research aims to draw a picture of the Leucippides inside the society in which they appeared, using an innovative method based on a highly comparative and interdisciplinary approach. It will fill the gaps in the research on these characters specifically, but it will also contribute to a series of relevant discussions in modern scholarship in the field, such as female identity-making processes in Greece, active relationships between myth and society, the cultural and exemplary nature of abduction stories and their symbolic connection to marriage, and the transmission, geographical expansion and reception of myth in different times and places. IV Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my principal supervisor Prof Douglas Cairns for his continuous support, patience and guidance. Appreciation is also due to my assistant supervisor Prof Judy Barringer, whose expertise and hard questions have been invaluable for the completion of this thesis. I am indebted to my assistant supervisor Dr Lilah Grace Canevaro for her insightful comments, encouragement and our stimulating discussions. I would also like to thank my examiners, Prof Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge and Dr Richard Rawles, for their valuable input and illuminating suggestions. I am grateful to Dr Simon Trépanier for his feedback throughout the years and to the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh for offering me such an intellectually stimulating environment. I thank all my friends and colleagues in the PhD Classics community at Edinburgh for the great years we spent together, and a special thanks goes to my proofreaders: Celeste De Blois, Sam Ellis, Mark Huggins, Alison John, Dorothy Longley-Cook, Rory Nutter and Thaddeus Thorp. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my parents, who have always believed in me. V Table of Contents Table of contents p. 1 Introduction p. 4 1. Introduction to the characters: the myth in literary sources p. 24 1.1 A standard version? p. 26 1.2 The Apharetidae p. 32 1.2.1 The engagement p. 43 2. A myth in context: the Leucippides in Sparta p. 58 2.1 The Spartan Dioscuri p. 59 2.2 Political use and value p. 65 2.3 Social implications p. 72 2.4 The cult: the temple p. 74 2.5 The priestesses: Apollo and Dionysus p. 78 2.6 The Hyacinthia p. 86 2.7 Alcman p. 94 2.8 Independent cult p. 102 2.9 Individual existence p. 106 2.10 Conclusion on the cult – the nature of the Leucippides p. 111 3. A myth in context: the Leucippides in the Greek world p. 113 3.1 Magna Graecia p. 114 3.1.1 Rhegion p. 114 3.1.2 Suggestions from Locri p. 117 3.1.3 Rhegion again: more evidence p. 120 3.1.4 Poseidonia p. 122 3.1.5 Concluding remarks p. 125 1 3.2 Argos p. 126 3.3 Delphi: Siphnos p. 136 3.3.1 The Siphnian Treasury p. 138 3.4 Apulia-Taras p. 146 3.4.1 Introduction p. 147 3.4.2 The Dioscuri p. 151 3.4.3 The Leucippides p. 156 3.4.4 The vases p. 161 3.4.5 Conclusions p. 166 4. A myth in context: the Leucippides in Athens p. 168 4.1 Introduction p. 168 4.2 A myth from afar – a local myth p. 169 4.2.1 Athens and Argos p. 170 4.2.2 Athens and Sparta p. 178 4.2.3 Athens and Taras p. 186 4.2.4 Conclusions p. 189 4.3 Local developments p. 190 4.4 Abduction before marriage – abduction as marriage p. 194 4.4.1 Wedding as abduction, abduction as wedding: a shifting boundary for a p. 196 social model 4.4.2 The abduction of the Leucippides or the Leucippides’ wedding? p. 204 4.5 The abduction as a rite of passage: the sanctuary p. 212 4.6 The other side of the coin: the heroic quest of male maturation p. 219 Conclusion p. 224 Appendix A – Abduction as marriage: parallel stories p. 227 Appendix B – Catalogue of literary sources p. 247 Appendix C – Catalogue of visual sources p. 264 2 Bibliography p. 294 Index locorum p. 336 Index of objects p. 339 3 Introduction This study deals with the Greek myth of the Leucippides, the two daughters of King Leucippus of Messenia.