INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Informatioii Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 THE WORLD OF THE INFANT: IDEOLOGY OF THE INFA lNT CONDITION AND INFANT CARE IN ANCIENT GREECE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Judith Blackmore Dann, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1999 Dissertation Committee: Professor Timothy E. Gregory, Adviser n ^proved hy" Professor Jack M. Balcer Professor Sarah I. Johnston Adviser Department of History UMI Number; 9931584 UMI Microform 9931584 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Judith Blackmore Dann 1999 ABSTRACT A number of sources were used to analyze the perceived status of the infant in archaic and classical Greece. Very few ancient, or even modem ones, conduct a study of how the infant was perceived by adults and why the type of care they received was necessary. Although there have been many recent historical analyses on the child in the ancient world, none has focused on the infant specifically. This study considers infancy a period spanning the first three years of life. The myth o f the infant Opheltes’ death, the foundation story for panhellenic competition at Nemea, served as the paradigm around which this study is conducted. The first issue that is demonstrated in the myth is the liminal quahty of infancy. The boy Opheltes was at once “bringer of increase,” as his name implies, and at his death was then renamed Archemoros, “beginner of doom.” Following the elements revealed in the myth, philosophical, epigraphic and dramatic sources were examined that reflected this liminal tension seen throughout infancy. By understanding this condition of early childhood, one can understand the rituals used involving children, death and burial practices and the conception of the power of the infant in society. The second issue of infancy revealed in the Opheltes myth is the central use of a wet-nurse. According to the delicate liminal state of infancy, a young child needed constant care. An examination of caretakers in the ancient world showed that parents did assume the responsibility, but that it also was common practice to hire a surrogate caretaker. The present study examined possible ideologies that would lend themselves to such a practice. The first was the belief that the proximity of the mother to the child could actually attract the envy of child-killing demons and the wrath of the gods onto her child. A surrogate served as a deflection of this particular danger. The second justification for its use can be seen in the program of male dominance. An analysis of the male conception of the unstable woman as mother necessitated the employment of a surrogate, thereby diminishing one of the only spheres of influence left to her in this patriarchal society. U 1 Dedicated to my entire family IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have an enormous debt of gratitude to Professors Tim Gregory, Jack Balcer, and Nate Rosenstein, all of whom patiently guided and molded me into an historian. Their encouragement was ever present and ever appreciated. To Professor Gregory I owe not only the direction of this work that guided me with latitude to call the solutions my very owm, but also thanks for opening the world of Greece to me. To Professor Balcer I appreciate the always gentle guidance to make my words clear and true. I owe an immense gratitude to Professor Johnston for inspiring me with the magic of ancient religion and for her supportive guidance. All of these mentors I appreciate for providing me with models of effective teaching styles. To Dr. Dianna Kardulias, whose “collegial fun” rescued me more times than I am able to count, I am eternally indebted. Her friendship, encouragement and wisdom truly led to the completion of this manuscript. To Dr. Kyriakoula Drakatos I thank for her support and guidance. To my entire family I owe thanks that I cannot possible repay in a lifetime. This work truly belongs to them all. I owe especial gratitude to my parents who instilled in me the insatiable yearning for knowledge, the courage to never quit and the absolute need to pass all of that on to others. My father helped me so much throughout this project that words cannot express my thanks to him. He knows every word and argument here. My mother taught me what true motherhood is all about. My eternal love and gratefulness go to my husband, Mark, whose unwavering support, encouragement and long-enduring patience made work on this even possible. 1 owe to him countless hours of assistance and discussion that helped to form my thoughts from before the conception of this study to the end. I am truly blessed that he is my hfe partner. And eternal love I give to my precious daughter Emma, whose twinkling eyes, effervescent smile and soul warming hugs have filled me and showed me the awesome magic of a child and the utter bhss of motherhood. VI VITA March 20, 1966 ................................ Bom- Columbus, Ohio 1988.................................................. A.B. Classics, Miami University (Oxford) 1990.................................................. M.A. Classics, The Ohio State University 1988-1994........................................ Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University 1990-1992........................................ Staff Member, OSU Excavations at Isthmia, Greece 1994-199 7........................................ Adjunct Faculty Member, Capital University 1996-199 7 ........................................ Adjunct Faculty Member, Franklin University 1995-199 7........................................ Adjunct Faculty Member, Columbus State Community College 1997- present .................................... Full-Time Faculty Member, Columbus State Community College vu MAJOR FIELD OF STUDY History SPECIAL FIELDS OF STUDY Greek History Professors Timothy Gregory and Jack Balcer Roman History Professor Nathan Rosenstein Greek Rehgion Professor Sarah Johnston Greek and Roman Art Professor Mark Fullerton VIU TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Dedication .............................................................................................................. ii Abstract.................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................... iv V ita........................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Objective........................................................................................................ 1 The Myth of Opheltes and its Sources .......................................................... 6 Status of Current Scholarship ........................................................................ 10 Methodology.................................................................................................. 18 Infancy Defined ............................................................................................. 29 An Apparent Paradox ..................................................................................... 31 2. The Cult within the context of y.u6o l and the Panhellenic Games .................................................................................. 33 3. The Nature of the Infant Condition .............................................................. 42 Liminality..................................................................................................... 43 Susceptibility of Marginal Beings................................................................ 64 Divine Connection of the Marginal .............................................................. 68 R itual .................................................................................................