27:
164:. Gnathaena both attended and hosted symposiums, using her popularity to invite upper-class men to dine and to match wits with her. She eventually wrote a code of conduct for proper manners at these symposiums called "Rules for Dining in Company" that describes the rules for dining at her table. Some scholars believe that this is a testament to how well-respected she was in her time and an indication of the higher status afforded to
168:, as Gnathaena made the rules for her own household and was not beholden to a man in the way that most Athenian women were. Gnathaena's treatise was a collection of rules stating which men were allowed to enter into her and her daughters' house to be a part of the symposiums they hosted, as well as how the men should conduct themselves once they were participating. Athenaeus describes Gnathaena's treatise as follows:
197:
proud fellow." And he said, "I proud?" "Who can be more so," said she, "when you come without even being invited?" On one occasion, some men were drinking in her house, and were eating some lentils dressed with onions (βολβοφάκη); as the maidservant was clearing the table, and putting some of the lentils in her bosom (κόλπον), Gnathaena said, "She is thinking of making some bosom-lentils (κολποφάκη)."
206:
One of the most notable of
Gnathaena's consorts was Diphilus, an Athenian comedic playwright who wrote around 100 plays in the style of New Comedy. Athenaeus cites Machon as his evidence for Diphilus' and Gnathaena's relationship and extensively chronicles his own musings on the subject. According to
210:
During the course of her life, Gnathaena had multiple daughters (unnamed) who helped their mother host parties and entertain guests. One of
Gnathaena's daughters also had a daughter named Gnathaeniŏn. Athenaeus alludes to Gnathaena's daughters and granddaughter also being courtesans known for witty
196:
Once, when a man came to see her, and saw some eggs on a dish, and said, "Are these raw, Gnathaena, or boiled?" "They are made of brass, my boy," said she. On one occasion, when
Chaerephon came to sup with her without an invitation, Gnathaena pledged him in a cup of wine. "Take it," said she, "you
119:
were not paid according to what sexual acts they performed with their patrons; instead, they were paid for their companionship over a long period of time. They also provided intellectual stimulation in addition to sexual pleasure and were thought to be well-educated in some circumstances. However,
159:
class afforded
Gnathaena the luxury of becoming highly educated, controlling her own finances, and additionally hosting banquets and symposiums of her own that were attended by the wealthy men with whom she consorted. These opportunities were not a substantial part of the ancient Athenian woman's
69:), a class of ancient Greek prostitutes who were companions to wealthy men. Though there is no source for either her date of birth or date of death, Gnathaena is known to have lived during the 4th century BCE due to her affiliations with various men of the era. Her most notable lover was
160:
life or social expectations at the time. Women of Athens traditionally had a limited ability to hold land or participate in their own financial decisions, and were not particularly involved socially in the way that men were, past some religious festivals such as the
172:
Gnathaena... even compiled a code of laws for banquets, according to which lovers were to be admitted to her and to her daughters, in imitation of the philosophers, who had drawn up similar documents. And
Callimachus has recorded this code of hers in the third
181:
Gnathaena is described extensively by
Athenaeus as being "very witty and prompt in repartee" and having multiple lovers (some named, some unnamed) to whom she provided both intellectual and emotional companionship as well as sexual relations. Being a
207:
Athenaeus, Gnathaena often made fun of
Diphilus and his plays, though he is described as "a man above her other lovers beloved by her". Though Diphilus was possibly her favorite lover, Athenaeus also mentions unnamed others and alludes to many more.
186:, Gnathaena often verbally sparred or competed intellectually with her lovers using wordplay or insults. Athenaeus gives examples of a few of what he considers to be her wittiest phrases in his work
177:
which he has given; and he has quoted the first words of it as follows:- "This law has been compiled, being fair and equitable; and it is written in three hundred and twenty-three verses."
81:, Gnathaena was famous for her lavish parties and witty repartee, and even wrote a treatise on proper conduct at her symposiums entitled, "Rules for Dining in Company".
111:
were thought to be women who consorted exclusively in aristocratic circles and with only a few men as opposed to selling sexual acts through a brothel as
434:
429:
419:
26:
220:
331:
Kurke, Leslie (1997-04-01). "Inventing the "Hetaira": Sex, Politics, and
Discursive Conflict in Archaic Greece".
125:
52:
151:, a banquet of aristocratic men that involved drinking, dancing, and music as well as consorting with
31:
356:
313:
211:
remarks as
Gnathaena was before them. Gnathaeniŏn had a son with Andronicus, a "tragic actor".
424:
348:
155:. The symposium was an integral part of the social life of respected men. Being a part of the
124:
did is contested by the Oxford
Classical Dictionary (second edition) as well as by the lawyer
340:
303:
225:
188:
36:
44:
played at symposia in which the participants flicked the dregs of their wine at a target.
19:
This article is about a 4th century Greek woman. For the genus of longhorn beetles, see
129:
92:
Gnathaena was one of many fourth-century women in the class of prostitutes known as a
413:
41:
161:
375:
Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece
259:
308:
291:
74:
20:
352:
148:
78:
70:
360:
61:
317:
344:
102:
100:
were a class of courtesans in ancient Greece that were distinct from
25:
390:(2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 512.
292:"Women's Commensality in the Ancient Greek World"
386:Hammond, N.G.L.; Scullard, H.H., eds. (1970).
8:
307:
260:"Athenaeus: Deipnosophists - Book 13 (b)"
238:
132:". Both of these sources maintain that
377:. New Haven & London: Yale. p. 12.
7:
285:
283:
281:
279:
254:
252:
250:
248:
246:
244:
242:
399:Kapparis, Konstantinos A. (1999).
30:This painting, on the inside of a
14:
147:were traditionally a part of the
388:The Oxford Classical Dictionary
107:another type of prostitute, as
221:Prostitution in ancient Greece
1:
401:Apollodoros 'Against Neaira'
34:, depicts a hetaira playing
128:in his prosecution speech "
451:
435:4th-century BC Greek women
228:, another famous courtesan
56:
18:
309:10.1017/S0017383500033659
140:as general prostitutes.
77:playwright. According to
430:4th-century BC Athenians
420:Greek female prostitutes
120:this definition of what
199:
179:
96:, or "companion". The
45:
373:Hamel, Debra (2003).
290:Burton, Joan (1998).
194:
170:
136:were grouped in with
29:
143:Gnathaena and other
333:Classical Antiquity
59:) was an Athenian
46:
296:Greece & Rome
202:Lovers and family
175:Catalogue of Laws
442:
404:
397:
391:
384:
378:
371:
365:
364:
345:10.2307/25011056
328:
322:
321:
311:
287:
274:
273:
271:
270:
256:
58:
16:Athenian hetaira
450:
449:
445:
444:
443:
441:
440:
439:
410:
409:
408:
407:
398:
394:
385:
381:
372:
368:
330:
329:
325:
289:
288:
277:
268:
266:
264:www.attalus.org
258:
257:
240:
235:
226:Neaira (Neaera)
217:
204:
189:Deipnosophistae
90:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
448:
446:
438:
437:
432:
427:
422:
412:
411:
406:
405:
403:. pp. 422–423.
392:
379:
366:
339:(1): 106–150.
323:
302:(2): 143–165.
275:
237:
236:
234:
231:
230:
229:
223:
216:
213:
203:
200:
130:Against Neaera
89:
83:
73:, an Athenian
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
447:
436:
433:
431:
428:
426:
423:
421:
418:
417:
415:
402:
396:
393:
389:
383:
380:
376:
370:
367:
362:
358:
354:
350:
346:
342:
338:
334:
327:
324:
319:
315:
310:
305:
301:
297:
293:
286:
284:
282:
280:
276:
265:
261:
255:
253:
251:
249:
247:
245:
243:
239:
232:
227:
224:
222:
219:
218:
214:
212:
208:
201:
198:
193:
192:
190:
185:
178:
176:
169:
167:
163:
158:
154:
150:
146:
141:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
118:
114:
110:
106:
104:
99:
95:
88:
84:
82:
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
63:
54:
53:Ancient Greek
50:
43:
42:drinking game
39:
38:
33:
28:
22:
400:
395:
387:
382:
374:
369:
336:
332:
326:
299:
295:
267:. Retrieved
263:
209:
205:
195:
187:
183:
180:
174:
171:
165:
162:Thesmophoria
156:
152:
144:
142:
137:
133:
121:
116:
112:
108:
101:
97:
93:
91:
86:
66:
60:
48:
47:
35:
126:Apollodorus
414:Categories
269:2018-12-08
233:References
85:Life as a
75:New Comedy
21:Gnathoenia
353:1067-8344
149:symposium
79:Athenaeus
65:(plural:
49:Gnathaena
425:Hetairai
361:25011056
215:See also
157:hetairai
153:hetairai
145:hetairai
134:hetairai
122:hetairai
117:Hetairai
109:hetairai
98:hetairai
71:Diphilus
67:hetairai
57:Γνάθαινα
37:kottabos
184:hetaira
166:hetaira
94:hetaira
87:hetaira
62:hetaira
359:
351:
318:642980
316:
138:pornai
113:pornai
103:pornai
357:JSTOR
314:JSTOR
115:did.
32:kylix
349:ISSN
40:, a
341:doi
304:doi
416::
355:.
347:.
337:16
335:.
312:.
300:45
298:.
294:.
278:^
262:.
241:^
55::
363:.
343::
320:.
306::
272:.
191::
105:,
51:(
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
