Warrior Women: The Anonymous Tractatus De Mulieribus 9004106650, 9789004106659

Citation preview

WARRIOR WOMEN

MNEMOSYNE BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA BATAVA COLLEGERUNT J.M. BREMER • L F. JANSSEN • H. PINKSTER H. W. PLEKET • C.J. RUIJGH • P.H. SCHRIJVERS BIBLlOTHECAE FASCICULOS EDENDOS CURAVIT C.J. RUIJGH, KLASSIEK SEMINARIUM, OUDE TURFMARKT 129, AMSTERDAM

SUPPLEMENTIJM CENTESIMUM SEXAGESIMUM SECUNDUM DEBORAH GERA

WARRIOR WOMEN

WARRIOR WOMEN THE ANONYMOUS TRACTATUS DE MUJJERIBUS

BY

DEBORAH GERA

E.J.

BRILL

LEIDEN · NEW YORK · KOLN 1997

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gera, Deborah Levine. Warrior women: the anonymous Tractatus de mulieribus / by Deborah Gera. p. cm. - (Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum, ISSN 0169-8958; 162) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9004106650 (alk. paper) I. Tractatus de mulieribus claris in hello. 2. Women-Greece-History. 3. Women soldiers-Greece-History. 4. Queens -Greece-History. I. Title. II. Series. 1996 HQ1134.G47. 305.4'09495-dc20 96-9610 CIP

Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme [Mnemosyne/ Supplementum) Mnemosyne : bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum. Leiden ; New York ; Koln : Brill. Fruher Schriftenreihe Reihe Supplementum zu: Mnemosyne

162. Gera, Deborah: Warrior women. - 1996 Gera, Deborah: Warrior women: the anonymus Tractatus De Mulieribus / by Deborah Gera. - Leiden; New York; Koln: Brill, 1996 (Mnemosyne : Supplementum ; 162) ISBN 90----04---10665-0

ISSN 0 169-8958 ISBN 90 04 10665 0

0 Copyright 1997 by E.J. Brill, Leiden, The Net/,er/ands All rights reserved. No part of th.is publication Ill'!' he reproduced, translaJed, stored in a retrieval .rystnn, or transmitted in any form or hy any means, electronic, meclumical., photocopying, recording or otherwise, with.out prior written permission .from th.e publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for inJemal. or personal use is granted by EJ. Brill prowkd thaJ th.e a/Jllropria/e fees are paid direct!, to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. PRINTED IN TIIE NETHERLANDS

For Dov, Avital, Chemi, and Ariel and for my mother, Ivriah Levine, an eshet chayil, a woman of valor.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements .. .... ... ..... ....... ....... ................... ...................... Abbreviations .. .. ... .... ......... ... ....... ............. ............... ... ..... ............

1x XI

I. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DE MUllERIBUS Preliminary Remarks .. ...... ... .... ..... .... ....... ........ ... .. ... ... ..... ... Text and Translation .......................................................... The Women of DM: A Survey ......................................... War, Weaving, and Wiles: Gender Roles ........................ The Form, Sources, and Structure of DM ........................ The Genre of DM ................................................................. Catalogues of Women ........................................................ The Anonymous Author: Some Speculations ...................

3 5 11 18 26 32 40 56

II. THE INDIVIDUAL WOMEN Semiramis .... .... .... ............ ... ............... .. ... ... ......... ... .... .... ...... Zarinaea ....... ....... ................ ................................................. Nitocris the Egyptian ................ ............. ... .......................... Nitocris the Babylonian ............ ............................. ............. Argeia ................................................................................... Dido ..................................................................................... Atossa ................................................................................... Rhodogyne ... ... ..... ..... ........ .... ... .. ....... .... .... ....... .... .... ... ......... Lyde ..................................................................................... Pheretime ........... ... ...... ... .... ... .. ... ... ....... ..... .. ..... .. .. ... ... ...... .... Thargelia .............................................................................. Tomyris ................................................................................ Artemisia ... ...... .......................... ............ .................... ....... .... Onomaris .. ...... ... .. ... .. ..... ...... .... .. ........... ......... ... ............. .. ....

65 84 101 106 121 126 141 151 159 164 179 187 205 219

Bibliography ......................... ........................ ........................... ... Index Locorum .......................................................................... General Index ............ .... ............................... ................... ..........

225 237 24 7

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book has taken a long time to formulate and write. I first encountered the text of De Muli£ribus nearly fifteen years ago and have been intrigued by it ever since. Over the years I have incurred several debts, especially to colleagues and friends at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is a pleasure to thank Hannah Rosen for her encouragement and gentle prodding. She lent her considerable expertise in Celtic matters, but should not be held responsible for the end result in the section on Onomaris. Joseph Geiger has been urging me to write about "your women" for many years and had helpful comments to make on the introduction. Samuel Scolnicov read an earlier draft of the work and offered advice on questions of form and content. David Satran is a constant source of challenging conversation and coffee. I am also most grateful to Brill's anonymous reader for her incisive criticisms and corrections. She provided much valuable and detailed advice, relating both to the content and presentation of the material. Richard Hawley also read the whole of an earlier draft. This book is dedicated, with love, to various members of my family, all of whom teach me much about women, intelligence, and courage. D.L.G. April 1996

ABBREVIATIONS

AC AJAH AJP

ASNP

BIGS CA C&M

CJ

CP

co..

DB

DK

FGrH FHG GGM G&R GRBS HSCP ]AOS ]E4 ]HS ]NES ]RS Pack2 PCG

PMG P. O:,ry. RE

RE4

REL

RMI SCI TAPA

res

ZPE

l 'antiquiti classique American Journal of Ancient History American Journal of Philology Annali rklla Scuola Normal.e Superiore di Pisa Bull.etin of the Institute of Classical Studies Classical Antiquity Classica et Mediaevalia Classical Journal Classical Philology Classical Qyarter!J Darius, Behistun Inscription H. Diels & W. Kranz, Die Fragmente rkr Vorso/cratikr 6 (Berlin 1951) F. Jacoby, Die Fragmente rkr griechischen Historikr (Leiden 1923-195 7) C. Miiller, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (Paris 1853-1870) C. Muller, Geographi Graeci Minores (Paris 1855-1861) Greece and Rome Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies Harvard Studies in Classical Philology Journal of the American Oriental Society Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Journal of Hell.enic Studies Journal of Near Eastern Studies Journal of Roman Studies R. A. Pack, The Greek and Latin literary Texts from Greco-Roman Egypt 2 (Ann Arbor 1965) R. Kassel & C. Austin, Poetae Comici Graeci (Berlin and New York 1983-) D. L. Page, Poetae Melici Graeci (Oxford 1962) O:,ryrhynchus Papyri (London 1898- ) Real-Encyclopiidie rkr classischen Altertumswissenschafl, ed. A. Fr. von Pauly, rev. G. Wissuwa et al. (Stuttgart 1894--1980) Revue des eludes anciennes Revue rks eludes latines Rheinisches Museum far Philologi,e Scripta Classica Israelica Transactions of the American Philological Association ral.e Classical Studies Zeitschrift far Papyrologi,e und Epigraphik

PART ONE

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DE MUllERIBUS

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

ft yuvaucda

q,{>1tapxcp ttvl. PacrtA.llCq>, dxev uloui; (P'), EA.0\JO"(l 0£ Bll!Ctpa µeta tO\l avopoi;, imyvoui; Nivoi; 1101'1 'YTJPllA.tq> IC(lt to tO\l BftMu lepov IC years and ruled for 42.

2. Zapivaia. autTJ tEA.Eutftcravtoi; tou 1tpotepou avopoi; autni; IC(ll llOEAq>O\l Kuopaiou, l:aJCrov Pacr1A.ecoi;, iyaµft0TJ Mepµepcp tili; nap0ua lO>V xropai; ouvacrtn. tO\l OE nepcr&v Pacr1Aiooi; £7tlO"tpatE\JO"V autoti; tOV Mepµepov llVEtA.E, IC(ll 1tapaooucra tq> TTEpcrn 'tllV xropav q>lAlT!lV emcrtpEljlat ltpO