Famous women of Antiquity - Nunc est bibendum

Translated from french with Deepl (please notify us of errors)

Ancient societies were resolutely patriarchal, leaving little room for women outside the domestic sphere. Yet some of them were able to break out of this mould and make their mark in a wide variety of fields, including science, philosophy, poetry, sport, politics and strategy. They have left a lasting imprint on history, and their fame continues to this day, even though we often only know them from stories written and performed by men.

Artemisia

Artemisia (Ἀρτεμισία), a warrior queen of the fifth century BC, fascinated and horrified the Greeks of her time.

She ruled over the ancient city of Halicarnassus in Caria (modern Turkish Bodrum). Although Greek by culture, her city was dependent on the Persian Empire. The queen played an active role in Xerxes I’s plans for conquest. At the head of a fleet, she fought against the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis with a courage and pugnacity underlined by Herodotus, a historian on the opposing side who came from the same city as her.

A few decades later, for the poet Aristophanes, the figure of Artemisia represented the worst that could happen to men: emancipated women, capable of building ships and attacking. A sort of Amazon of the seas, as fascinating as she was inconceivable and frightening for the Greeks.

For more information: Wikipedia article Artemisia I of Caria

Boudica

Boadicea (Boudica to the Roman historian Tacitus), born around 30 and died in 61 AD, was the queen of a Celtic people in what is now Britain who rose up against the Romans.

Boudica is a legendary figure of courage and rebellion. To avenge the humiliations and atrocities inflicted on her family and people, she took up arms against the Romans around the year 60. After a few victories (accompanied by atrocities in return, because in those days they didn’t mince their words), the Romans regained the upper hand. The final battle was merciless: some 80,000 casualties in Boadicea’s camp for 400 in their enemies’.

The war leader did not survive this rout for long, although the exact reason for her death remains uncertain. George R. R. Martin drew inspiration from Boadicea for the character of Daenerys Targaryen when writing his saga The Iron Throne.

To find out more: Wikipedia article Boudica

Cléopâtre VII

Cleopatra VII (69-30 BC) was the last ruler of Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty.

A cultured and multilingual ruler, Cleopatra was the only one of her dynasty to speak Egyptian. To preserve her kingdom’s independence from Rome, she allied herself successively with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, with whom she had one and three children respectively. After their defeat by Octavian (later Augustus) at the battle of Actium, she chose suicide rather than humiliation. Legend has it that she was bitten by an asp.

Often reduced to the image of a seductress, Cleopatra was above all a brilliant political strategist and intellectual. Her death marked the end of independent Pharaonic Egypt, which became a Roman province.

For more information: Wikipedia article Cleopatra

Gorgô

Gorgô (en grec ancien Γοργώ), née vers 506 av. J.-C., était une princesse et reine de Sparte, fille du roi Cléomène Ier et épouse du célèbre roi Léonidas Ier.

An emblematic figure of Spartan womanhood, Gorgô distinguished herself by her intelligence and quick wit from an early age. Herodotus reports that, as a child, she advised her father not to be corrupted by the gold of the tyrant Aristagoras of Miletus, who was seeking Sparta’s military support. She also famously replied to an Athenian woman who asked her why the Spartans were the only women who could command men: ‘Because we are the only ones who give birth to men’.

After the glorious death of her husband at Thermopylae in 480 BC, she was the only one able to decipher a secret message warning the Greeks of Xerxes’ imminent invasion. Unlike women in other Greek cities, Gorgô, like all Spartans, received a full education and enjoyed remarkable freedom in society.

For more information: Wikipedia article Gorgo, Queen of Sparta

Hypatia

Hypatia (Ὑπατία), born between 355 and 370 and died in 415, was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer and mathematician from Alexandria.

As the head of the Neoplatonist school in Alexandria, Hypatia taught philosophy, mathematics and astronomy. To this day, she remains a symbol of female excellence in the sciences. She was also a champion of tolerance, because although she was not a Christian, Hypatia opened her school to all. Sadly, she also became the figure of intelligence persecuted by obscurantism, when exalted Christians, at a time when their religion was taking precedence over the ancient cults, had her murdered. The film Agora (2009) by director Alejandro Amenábar pays tribute to this exceptional woman.

For more information: Wikipedia article Hypathia

Julia

Julia Caesaris (c. 83 BC – 54 BC) was the daughter of Julius Caesar and the wife of Pompey.

Little is known about Julius Caesar’s only daughter, except that she served her father’s interests by sealing his alliance with Pompey the Great through marriage. Reputedly a woman of great beauty, it is said that for a time she diverted her husband, an ageing conqueror, from politics to domestic life… But she died young, without issue. The agreement between Caesar and Pompey did not survive her, but that’s another story…

For more information: Wikipedia article Julia (daughter of Caesar)

Kynisca

Kynisca or Cynisca (Ancient Greek Κυνίσκα), born around 440 BC and died in the 4th century BC, was a Spartan princess, daughter of King Archidamos II and sister of King Agesilaus II.

She went down in history as the first woman to win at the ancient Olympic Games, although women were not allowed to compete directly. Cynisca triumphed in the prestigious four-horse chariot race, first in 396 BC and then a second time in 392 BC. As the owner of the carriages, she was declared the winner, even though she did not drive the chariots herself.

According to Plutarch, it was her brother Agesilaus who encouraged her in this venture. Cynisca had a statue erected in Sparta to commemorate her victories, and her name was inscribed on a monument in Olympia, an exceptional feat for a woman at the time.

For more information: Wikipedia article Cynisca

Livia

Livia Drusilla, born in 58 BC and died in 29 AD, was the third wife of the emperor Augustus and the mother of the emperor Tiberius.

It didn’t look good for Livia, whose family had sided with the losers in the war that followed Julius Caesar’s assassination! But Livia clearly possessed a rare combination of intelligence, unfailing willpower and an uncommon sense of strategy. These qualities brought her to the top of the empire, alongside the first emperor, Augustus, whose support and confidant she was. Livia played a major role behind the scenes. She was regularly consulted in the consilium principis, a small circle of intimate advisers, and her influence was reflected in imperial policy and propaganda.

The TV series Domina (Sky, 2021) follows the life of this exceptional woman.

For more information: Wikipedia article Livia

Olympias

Olympias (Ancient Greek Ὀλυμπιάς), born around 375 BC and died in 316, was a princess of Epirus and the mother of Alexander the Great.

Both a historical figure and a figure of legend, Olympias was said to be an intelligent, courageous, hot-tempered and jealous woman. It is said that she did not conceive Alexander with her husband Philip II, King of Macedonia, but with Zeus himself. A rather convenient version for the future great conquering king, who did not hesitate to emphasise his alleged divine lineage.

Very much involved in political affairs, a loving mother for some, driven by excessive ambition for others, she slept with snakes, according to some… In short, a colourful character whose image has been formatted to reinforce that of Alexander down the ages.

For more information: Wikipedia article Olympias

Sappho

Sappho (Ancient Greek Σαπφώ) was an ancient Greek poetess who lived in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.

Sappho was a veritable star, known far and wide. Unfortunately, only a small part of her poetic work has survived. Only a few snippets have survived on rare papyrus fragments. Her reputation, however, has survived the ages: Sappho is known for having expressed in her writings her attraction to young girls, hence the term ‘sapphic’ to designate female homosexuality, while the term ‘lesbian’ is derived from Lesbos, the island where she lived.