by Stephanie Bedus Phila of Macedonia (c. 340 BCE–287 BCE[1]) was born to Antipater, the regent of Macedonia, during the absence of Alexander, who ruled until his death in 319 BCE.[2] She was married three times, widowed twice, and produced four children; a son to each of her husbands and one daughter to her final husband. Her…
Tag Archive for Ancient
Egee
by Sam Yelton Egee (c. 1200 BCE) From the Greek Aegea.[1] Although traditionally placed by Herodotus and others in the vicinity of the Black Sea, there are variations of the Amazon myth which located the tribe of female warriors in Scythia and in northern Africa.[2] Diodorus Siculus records a story of a warrior queen leading…
Praxilla
by Lindsay Smith Praxilla (mid 5th century BCE) was a poet from the Greek polis Sicyon[1], a city renowned as a haven for artists. She often performed in Athens{NOTE:Ian Plant, Praxilla, 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…
Telesilla
by Penelope Whitworth Telesilla of Argos (early 5th century BCE) was well known for her poetry and her bravery.[1] Several accounts tell the story of the Oracle counselling Telesilla to study the Muses to improve her health. The effect was that the power of her verse inspired the women of Argos to join her to…
Arete
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.…
Cleobulina
by Koren Whipp Cleobulina (fl. c. 6th C BCE) Plutarch states that her father, Cleobulus, the prince of Lindus, called her “Eumetis” which translates to ‘Clever’.[1] Despite her fame as a Greek poet, there is little reliable biography of her; stories about her socializing with famous sages are later inventions, and contradictions in the essential…
Aretaphila
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…
Enheduanna
by Gina Luria Walker Enheduanna (c. 2300 B.C.) Sumerian princess, cloistered priestess and popular poet, Enheduanna is the first human author for whom we have attribution, and the first Ancient author to write in the first person.[1] She was appointed by her father, King Sargon, as the head of the main temple at Ur, one…
Boadicea
by Gina Luria Walker Boadicea (or Boudicca) d. 60 or 61 was a queen of the Brittonic Iceni tribe (now East Anglia). Her husband, Prasutagus, ruled the Iceni and was a staunch ally of Rome. When he died, he left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and the Roman Emperor, but his will was ignored. Boudicea…
Hypatia
by Gina Luria Walker Hypatia 370–415 was a Greek scholar, daughter of a master teacher at the academy at the Great Library at Alexandria, Egypt. During her lifetime, Hypatia was renowned as a philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and teacher, as well as a great beauty. She defied popular assumptions about women by wearing the black philosopher’s…
