by Koren Whipp
Aretaphila of Cyrene (1st C BCE) lived in the reign of Mithridates VI, King of Pontus and Armenia Minor. She was the daughter of Aeglator and wife of Phᴂdimus, both noblemen.[1] Nicocrates, a tyrant who seized power of Cyrene c. 50 BCE, assassinated Phᴂdimus and forcibly married Aretaphila. The citizens of Cyrene were executed, their property seized and their homes destroyed under the tyrant’s rule. Determined to free Cyrene from this oppression, Aretaphila conspired to poison Nicocrates.[2] When Calbia, mother to Nicocrates, discovered the plan she urged her son to torture Aretaphila. Of the various depictions of the life of Aretaphila, Calbia is only mentioned in Plutarch’s Moralia. [3] Although Aretaphila pleaded that the preparations found in her rooms were love potions designed to woo Nicocrates, she was nevertheless tortured.
Aretaphila gave birth to one daughter from her union with Nicocrates. Aretaphila encouraged her daughter to seduce Leander, the brother of Nicocrates. Plutarch writes that Aretaphila used enchantments and witchcraft on her daughter to win over Leander.[4] The two were married; with direction from Aretaphila, the bride convinced Leander to assassinate his brother Nicocrates.[5]
Leander was as tyrannical as Nicocrates, continuing many of the practices that oppressed the Cyrenes. Aretaphila conspired with a Lybian prince, Anabus, to invade Cyrene and deliver its inhabitants from persecution in exchange for gifts and money. Aretaphila led Leander to Anabus who arrested Leander as a usurper. The Cyrene’s offered a public role to Aretaphila for her help in deposing the oppressor, but she declined and returned to domesticity in the women’s quarters where she spent the rest of her life working at her loom.[6] Withdrawal into private life may have signified engagement in a female cult. A Roman woman, Antonia, had a Cyrene statue erected to Aretaphilia, perhaps in honor of her role as a cult figure, or for her public service. [7]
[1] Plutarch, On the Bravery of Women, 19; Plutarch, Moralia, 255E-257E.
[2] Mary Hays, “Aretaphila,” Female Biography; or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women of all Ages and Countries (6 volumes) (London: R. Phillips, 1803), vol. 1, 172-77, on 173.
[3] Ian Plant, “Aretaphila,” Mary Hays, Female Biography; or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women, of All Ages and Countries (1803). Chawton House Library Series: Women’s Memoirs, ed. Gina Luria Walker, Memoirs of Women Writers Part II (Pickering & Chatto: London, 2013), vol. 5, 198-203, editorial notes, 435-36, on 435.
[4] Plant, “Aretaphila,” vol. 5, 198-203, editorial notes, 435-36, on 435.
[5] Hays, “Aretaphila,” vol. 1, 172-77, on 174-5.
[6] Plutarch, Moralia, 257d-e.
[7] Donald White, The Extramural Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Cyrene, Libya, Final Reports VIII: The Sanctuary’s Imperial Architectural Development, Conflict with Christianity, and Final Days (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012), 190; 195.
Bibliography
Beness, J.L. “When the Punishment Rivals the Crime: the Sack Treatment and the Execution of C. Villius.” In Ancient History. Resources for Teachers, 28.2, 95-112. 1998.
Blomqvist, K. “From Olympias to Aretaphila: Women in Politics.” In Plutarch and his intellectual world: essays on Plutarch, Edited by Mossman, J.M. London: Duckworth, 1997.
Hays, Mary. “Aretaphila.” Female Biography; or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women of all Ages and Countries (6 volumes) London: R. Phillips, 1803, vol. 1, 172-77.
Hillard, T. “Getting the Sack: The Survival of the Poena Cullei,” Classicum, 27.1, 2-4. 2001.
Lefkowitz, Mary R. Women in Greek Myth. Maryland: JHU Press, 2007.
Plant, Ian. “Aretaphila.” Mary Hays, Female Biography; or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women, of All Ages and Countries. 1803. Chawton House Library Series: Women’s Memoirs, ed. Gina Luria Walker, Memoirs of Women Writers Part II. Pickering & Chatto: London, 2013. vol. 5, 198-203, editorial notes, 435-36.
Plutarch. On the Bravery of Women.
Plutarch. Moralia.
White, Donald. The Extramural Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Cyrene, Libya, Final Reports VIII: The Sanctuary’s Imperial Architectural Development, Conflict with Christianity, and Final Days. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.
Resources:
Brooklyn Museum
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Aretaphilia of Cyrene
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/aretaphilia_of_cyrene.php
Page citation:
Koren Whipp. “Aretaphila.” Project Continua (January 22, 2014): Ver. 1, [date accessed], http://www.projectcontinua.org/aretaphila/
Tags: Africa, Ancient, Patriots
