SOSYOLOJİ DERGİSİ TURKISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY Received: February 2, 2017 Revision received: April 4, 2017 Copyright © 2017 Istanbul University Department of Sociology Accepted: June 29, 2017 tjs.istanbul.edu.tr/en OnlineFirst: November 30, 2017 DOI 10.26650/TJS.2017.2.0003 December 2017 37(2) 259282 Original Article Lyric Indecorum in Archaic Mytilene (and Beyond): Sappho F 99 c. I.1–9 L-P = Alcaeus F 303Aa V* Timothy Power1 Abstract This paper considers a remarkable epithet in a lacunose fragment of Archaic Lesbian poetry that some have , against a member or members of the Polyanaktidai, an aristocratic family of Lesbian Mytilene, who are also mentioned in the fragment. This paper offers a new appraisal of the invective poetics of by taking a musicological and sociological approach, that is, by attending to the musical as well as the sexual dimen- sions of the epithet, and by reading it within the socio-musical context of Archaic Mytilene and Archaic and Classical Greece more widely. It is argued that the motivation and impact of the “dildo-receiving strings” evoked in the fragment are best appreciated in terms of the prestige of musical culture in Archaic Mytilene, society, sexually framed musical invective would have had a powerful effect, with political, social, and moral implications that went beyond the musical and the sexual. The paper concludes with a hypothesis about the origin of the tradition, reported in the Suda Keywords To cite this article: Turkish Journal of Sociology, 37 TURKISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY The Phallic Plectrum chelys, lyrabarbitos phorminxkithara barbitos tauDe Musica barbitos 260 Power phorminx kithara Anthology phorminx Satires 261 TURKISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY kithara Mirabilia Historical Miscellany Mimiamb olisbos and Chordai Olisbodokoi “Dildo-Receiving Strings” Iliad Odyssey Homeric Hymn to Apollo Leucippe and Clitophon plektron 262 Power phorminx Homeric Hymn to Hermes Hymn Library Suda Suda barbitos Homeric Hymn to Apollo , olisbos phorminx Hymn to Hermes olisboiLysistrata olisbosolisboi LexiconSuda 263 TURKISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY .] .. [ ]. 1 .] [..]. [ [ ] ]. 1 _…[.] µ [ .[.]] ….[.] 3 _…µ .[.] ….[.] 3 .] .. [ ]. 1 _ [.] [ ] …. 5 _[_…] µ [ .[.]] ….[.…. ] 3 5 ]…..[ _’ ] [[] ] …. 5 7 ]…..] ’ [][..] [] [] 7 ]….. ’ [] 7 ] ] ’.[.]..[..] [..]... 9 ] [..] ] ] ’.[.]..’.[.]..[..].[..]..... 9 9 4 ’ Lobel 7 ] Ferrari 4 ’ Lobel 7 ] Ferrari 4 ’ Lobel 7 ] Ferrari a littlea little later later 1 1 the Polyanaka thelittle Polyanak latertid(s)tid(s) 2 12 3 the Polyanakstriking strings tid(s) 4 23 striking that strings receive the olisbos 5 34 with such people as those gladly 6 that receive the olisbos 5 striking andstrings [and a stringed instrument] is set 4 thatwith receive suchto quivering people the (gently?)olisbos as those gladly 7 56 with and such [and people a stringed as those instrument] gladly is set 6 to and quivering [and a stringed(gently?) instrument] is set 7 to quivering (gently?) 7 olisbodokos olisbos 264 Power olisbodokos olisbos olisbos olisbosolisbodokos olisbos de Poem.