1/10/2018 Phryne - Wikipedia

Phryne
Phryne (/ˈfraɪni/; Ancient Greek: Φρύνη) (born c. 371 BC) was an
ancient Greek courtesan (hetaira), from the fourth century BC. She
is best known for her trial for impiety, where she was defended by
the orator Hypereides.

Contents Phryne at the Poseidonia in Eleusis by Henryk

Life Siemiradzki, c. 1889. Phryne is shown naked,
preparing to step into the sea.
Fame
Trial
In modern and contemporary culture
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Life
Phryne's real name was Mnēsarétē (Μνησαρέτη, "commemorating virtue"), but owing
to her yellowish complexion she was called Phrýnē ("toad").[1] This was a nickname
frequently given to other courtesans and prostitutes as well.[2] She was born as the
daughter of Epicles at Thespiae in Boeotia, but lived in Athens.[3] The exact dates of her
birth and death are unknown, but she was born about 371 BC. In that year Thebes razed
Thespiae not long after the battle of Leuctra and expelled its inhabitants.[4] She might
have outlived the reconstruction of Thebes in 315/316 BC.

Fame
Athenaeus provides many anecdotes about Phryne. He praises her beauty, writing that
on the occasion of the festivals of the Eleusinia and Poseidonia she would let down her
hair and step naked into the sea. This would have inspired the painter Apelles to create
his famous picture of Aphrodite Anadyomene (Ἀφροδίτη Ἀναδυομένη, Rising from the
Sea also portrayed at times as Venus Anadyomene). Supposedly the sculptor Praxiteles,
A copy of the Aphrodite of
who was also her lover, used her as the model for the statue of the Aphrodite of
Knidos. Phryne is said to be
Knidos,[3] the first nude statue of a woman from ancient Greece.[5] the model of the original.

According to Athenaeus, Praxiteles produced two more statues for her, a statue of Eros
which was consecrated in the temple of Thespiae and a statue of Phryne herself which was made of solid gold and
consecrated in the temple of Delphi. It stood between the statues of Archidamus III and Philip II. When Crates of Thebes

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saw the statue he called it "a votive offering of the profligacy of Greece".[3] Pausanias reports that two statues of Apollo
stood next to her statue and that it was made of gilded bronze.[6] Pausanias is almost certainly correct in his claim that
gilded bronze was used.[7]

Athenaeus alleges she was so rich that she offered to fund the rebuilding of the walls of Thebes, which had been destroyed
by Alexander the Great in 336 BC, on the condition that the words "Destroyed by Alexander, restored by Phryne the
courtesan" be inscribed upon them.[3] Diogenes Laërtius narrates a failed attempt Phryne made on the virtue of the
philosopher Xenocrates.[8]

Havelock argues that the story of Phryne swimming naked in the sea is probably a sensationalized fabrication.[2] Because
Plutarch saw the statues in Thespiae and Delphi himself[1][9] Cavallini does not doubt their existence. She does think that
the love between Praxiteles and Phryne was an invention of later biographers.[10] Thebes was restored in 315 or 316 BC,[11]
but it is doubtful if Phryne ever proposed to rebuild its walls. Diodorus Siculus writes that the Athenians rebuilt the
greater part of the wall and that Cassander provided more aid later. He makes no mention of Phryne's alleged offer.[12]

Trial
The best known event in Phryne's life is her trial. Athenaeus writes that she
was prosecuted for a capital charge and defended by the orator Hypereides,
who was one of her lovers.[3] Athenaeus does not specify the nature of the
charge, but Pseudo-Plutarch writes that she was accused of impiety.[13] The
speech for the prosecution was written by Anaximenes of Lampsacus according
to Diodorus Periegetes. When it seemed as if the verdict would be
unfavourable, Hypereides removed Phryne's robe and bared her breasts before
the judges to arouse their pity. Her beauty instilled the judges with a Phryne before the Areopagus by
superstitious fear, who could not bring themselves to condemn "a prophetess Jean-Léon Gérôme, c. 1861
and priestess of Aphrodite" to death. They decided to acquit her out of pity.[3]

However, Athenaeus also provides a different account of the trial given in the
Ephesia of Posidippus of Cassandreia. He simply describes Phryne as clasping
the hand of each juror, pleading for her life with tears, without her disrobing
being mentioned.[3] Craig Cooper argues that the account of Posidippus is the
authentic version and that Phryne never bared her breasts before the court
during her trial.[14]

According to Cooper, the first description of the trial given by Athenaeus and
the shorter account of Pseudo-Plutarch ultimately derive from the work of the Phryne by José Frappa. Phryne is
biographer Hermippus of Smyrna (c. 200 BC) who adapted the story from depicted baring her breasts before
Idomeneus of Lampsacus (c. 300 BC). The account of Posidippus is the earliest the jury.

known version. If the disrobing had happened, Posidippus would most likely
have mentioned it because he was a comic poet. Therefore, it is likely that the
disrobing of Phryne was a later invention, dating to some time after 290 BC, when Posidippus was active as a poet.
Idomeneus was writing around that time.[14]

Furthermore, Cooper continues that the evidence suggests that Idomeneus invented the more salacious version of the
story, possibly in his desire to parody and ridicule the courtroom displays of Athenian demagogues. Considering his
preference for attributing sexual excess to these demagogues, the provocative act of disrobing Phryne fits the character
Hypereides had acquired in Idomeneus' work. As is not uncommon in the biographical tradition, later biographers failed

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to notice that earlier biographers did not give an accurate representation of events. The later biographer Hermippus
incorporated the account of Idomeneus in his own biography. An extract from Hermippus' biography is preserved in the
work of Athenaeus and Pseudo-Plutarch.[14]

There are also arguments for the veracity of the disrobing. The words "a prophetess and priestess of Aphrodite" might
have indicated that Phryne participated in the Aphrodisia festival on Aegina. If true, this would have showed the jurors
that she was favored by the goddess and deserving of pity.[15] Also, it was accepted at the time that women were especially
capable of evoking the sympathy of the judges. Mothers and children could be brought to courts for such purposes. The
baring of breasts was not restricted or atypical for prostitutes or courtesans, and could be used to arouse compassion as
well.[16]

In modern and contemporary culture

The trial of Phryne has inspired various works of art, including the painting
Phryne before the Areopagus (Prhyné devant l'Areopage) by Jean-Léon
Gérôme, from 1861, although nothing in the sources indicates she was tried
before that specific court;[17] the 1904 painting Phryne, by José Frappa; the
sculpture Phryné by French sculptor Alexandre Falguière;[18] and the sculpture
Phryne Before the Judges, by the American sculptor Albert Weine, from 1948.
Other paintings inspired by Phryne's life include J.M.W. Turner's Phryne
Going to the Public Baths as Venus – Demosthenes Taunted by Aeschines.
An 1884 cartoon in Puck magazine
Other works of art inspired by the life of Phryne include Charles Baudelaire's ridicules James G. Blaine as the
tattooed-man, with many indelible
poems Lesbos and La beauté and Rainer Maria Rilke's Die Flamingos; the
scandals. The cartoon is based on
opera Phryné by Camille Saint-Saëns; books by Dimitris Varos and Witold Phryne before the Areopagus, a
Jabłoński; and a 1953 film, Frine, cortigiana d'Oriente.[19] The fictional 1920s painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme.
Australian detective Phryne Fisher is to some degree modelled on the Greek
courtesan.

See also
Women in Classical Athens
Prostitution in ancient Greece
Neaira (hetaera)

References
1. Plutarch, De Pythiae oraculis 14 (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg091.perseus-eng1:14).
2. Havelock, Christine Mitchell (2010). The Aphrodite of Knidos and Her Successors: A Historical Review of the Female
Nude in Greek Art. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-472-03277-8.
3. Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 590–591 (http://www.attalus.org/old/athenaeus13c.html#590).
4. Stylianou, P. J. (1998). A Historical Commentary on Diodorus Siculus, Book 15. New York: Oxford University Press.
p. 367. ISBN 978-0-19-815239-2.
5. Dillon, Matthew (2002). Women and Girls in Classical Greek Religion. p. 195.
6. Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.15.1 (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-en
g1:10.15.1)

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7. Keesling, Catherine (2006). "Heavenly Bodies: Monuments to Prostitutes in Greek Sanctuaries". In Faraone,
Christopher A.; McClure, Laura K. Prostitutes and Courtesans in the Ancient World. Madison, Wisconsin: The
University of Wisconsin Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-29-9213145.
8. Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers 4.2 (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:
tlg0004.tlg001.perseus-eng1:4.2)
9. Plutarch, Amatorius 9 (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg113.perseus-eng1:9).
10. Cavallini, Eleonora. "Phryne in Modern Art, Cinema and Cartoon" (http://www.mythimedia.org/phrine_in%20_modern_
art.html). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
11. "The Parian Marble" (http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/faqs/q004/q004017.html). The Ashmolean Museum. Retrieved
12 November 2012.
12. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica 19.54.1–3 (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Sic
ulus/19C*.html#54), 19.63.4 (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/19C*.html#63).
13. Pseudo-Plutarch, Lives of the Ten Orators 9 (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg121.perseus-
eng2:9).
14. Cooper, Craig (1995). "Hyperides and the trial of Phryne". Phoenix. 49 (4): 303–318. doi:10.2307/1088883 (https://do
i.org/10.2307%2F1088883).
15. Nalden, F. S. (2006). Ancient Supplication. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-19-538598-4.
16. Havelock, Christine Mitchell (2010). The Aphrodite of Knidos and Her Successors: A Historical Review of the Female
Nude in Greek Art. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-472-03277-8.
17. Filonik, Jakub (2013). "Athenian impiety trials: a reappraisal". Dike (16): 63–66. doi:10.13130/1128-8221/4290 (https://
doi.org/10.13130%2F1128-8221%2F4290). ISSN 1128-8221 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1128-8221).
18. "Lot - Sotheby's" (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/490329478155136786/).
19. Frine, cortigiana d'Oriente (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045792/) on IMDb

Further reading
Aelianus, Claudius. "Book IX, 32". Varia Historia (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/aelian/varhist9.html).
Lardinois, André; McClure, Laura, eds. (2001). Making Silence Speak: Women’s Voices in Greek Literature and
Society. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-00466-2.
McClure, Laura K. (2003). Courtesans at Table: Gender and Greek Literary Culture in Athenaeus. New York:
Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-93947-8.
Morales, Helen (2011). "Fantasising Phryne: The psychology and ethics of ekphrasis". The Cambridge Classical
Journal. 57 (1): 71–104. doi:10.1017/S1750270500001287 (https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS1750270500001287).
Pausanias. "Book I, 20". Description of Greece (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perse
us-eng1:1.20).
Pausanias. "Book IX, 29". Description of Greece (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.pers
eus-eng1:9.27).
Pliny the Elder. "Book XXXIV, 19" (http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0978.phi001.perseus-eng1:34.1
9). Naturalis Historia.

External links
Media related to Phryne at Wikimedia Commons

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