by Eliana Greenberg and Koren Whipp
Arete of Cyrene (late 5th or early 4th C. BCE)[1] Philosopher and teacher in Cyrene, Cyrene was founded around 630 BCE by Greek colonists from Thera, and it became an important cultural mecca known for academic pursuits, and home to the Cyrenaic school of philosophy, founded by Arete’s father, Aristippus.
Aristippus was a student and devoted follower of Socrates. He was said by Diogenes Laertes to be quick-witted and independent.[2] Cyrenaïc philosophy was noted for its empiricist and skeptical epistemology and its sensualist hedonism.[3]
While there is no evidence of what Arete taught or surviving examples of her writing, a letter purportedly from Aristippus to his daughter can be found in the pseudonymous collection of Socratic letters written around the first century.[4] We are aware of her status due mostly to the epitaph that was inscribed on her tomb, declaring that she was the splendor of Greece and possessed the beauty of Helen, the virtue of Thirma, the pen of Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the tongue of Homer.[5]
Arete of Cyrene named her son after her father, but he was nicknamed “Metrodidactos” which translates to mother-taught. This compound word was perhaps coined in antiquity to describe Arete’s pupil and son.[6]
[1] Her father’s association with Socrates enables us to date her birth to the late fifth century or early fourth century BCE. See Ian Plant, “Arete,” 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, 204, editorial notes, 436.
[2] Diogenes Laertes . Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (London: G. Bell & Sons, 1901), 81-96.
[3] Plant, “Arete,” vol. 5, 204, editorial notes, 436.
[4] Plant, “Arete,” vol. 5, 204, editorial notes, 436.
[5] Mary Ellen Waithe. Ancient Women Philosophers, 600 B.C.-500 A.D. (Boston: M. Niijhoff, 1987), 198.
[6] Plant, “Arete,” vol. 5, 204, editorial notes, 436.
Bibliography
Cyrenaic Philosophers: Euhemerus, Aristippus, Hegesias of Cyrene, Arete of Cyrene, Anniceris, Antipater of Cyrene. S. I.: General Books LLC, 2010.
Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell. Woman’s Record: or, Sketches of all Distinguished Women, from the Creation to A.D. 1868. New York: Harper, 1874.
Hays, Mary. “Arete.” Female Biography; or Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women of all Ages and Countries (6 volumes) (London: R. Phillips, 1803), vol. 1, 178.
Howard, Sethanne. The Hidden Giants: Women Hold up Half the Sky; 4000 Years of Women in Science and Technology. U. S.: Lulu.com, ©2008.
Kourany, Janet A. Philosophy in a Feminist Voice: Critiques and Reconstructions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, ©1998.
Laertes, Diogenes. Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. London: G. Bell & Sons, 1901.
Malherbe, Abraham J. The Cynic Epistles: A Study Edition. Missoula, Scholars Press for the Society of Biblical Literature, 1977.
Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey and Joy Dorothy Harvey. The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: L-Z. Taylor & Francis, 2000.
–Women in Science: Antiquity Through the Nineteenth Century. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1986.
Plant, Ian. “Arete,” 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, 204, editorial notes, 436.
Waithe, Mary Ellen. Ancient Women Philosophers, 600 B.C.-500 A.D. Boston: M. Niijhoff, 1987.
Resources:
Brooklyn Museum
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Arete of Cyrene
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/arete_of_cyrene.php
Page citation:
Eliana Greenberg and Koren Whipp. “Arete.” Project Continua (January 28, 2014): Ver. 2, [date accessed], http://www.projectcontinua.org/arete/
Tags: Africa, Ancient, Educators, Philosophers
