196

Νέαιρα (Neaera)
(“Neaera”)

Discussion Kock II (1884) 462; Edmonds II (1959) 618-9; Breitenbach 1908,
136-8; Bevilacqua 1939, 46-7; Schiassi 1951, 237-8; PCG VII (1989) 773-4;
Kapparis 1999, 44; McClure 2003, 41-2 and 69-70; Auhagen 2009, 68-9.
Title The name ‘Neaera is probably a corrupted type of the older form νείαιρα,
which as an adjective means “the lower part” (cf. Hom. II. 5.539 νειαίρη έν γαστρί;
Simon, fr. 244 νέαιραν γνάθον), and as a substantive denotes the abdominal re-
gion (Hp. Coac. 579 βάρος έν νειαίρη). There is a comedy with the same title by
Philemon (fr. 49) and a Neaera by Licinius Imbrex (235 Ribbeck).209 In Timocles,
titles probably referring to courtesans are Δρακόντιον, Λήθη and Πορφύρα (also
attributed to Xenarchus). Apart from these titles, in the surviving fragments the
well-known courtesans Phryne (fr. 25) and Pythionice (frr. 15 and 16) are named,
whereas in Όρεσταυτοκλείδης (fr. 27) eleven notorious courtesans (including
Phryne) are named; cf. on this fr., under “Interpretation”.
In the thirteenth book of Athenaeus more than forty names of courtesans oc-
cur, as titles of plays of Middle and New Comedy. These titles may well refer either
to historical or to invented persons. Webster (1952,23-4) has convincingly argued
that the title of a play refers to a historical person, if the existence of that person
is well attested. On the basis of this assumption, both Timocles’ and Philemon’s
Neaera may be associated with the trial of the historical Neaera (cf. [D.] 59 and
see below, “Date”).210 Other titles which probably refer to historical persons are
Antiphanes’ Μαλθακή, Eubulus’ Κλεψύδρα, Νάννιον and Πλαγγών.211
Neaera was born and raised a slave in Corinth, probably in the first decade of
the fourth century, and later acquired her freedom. In her youth she had been a
notorious courtesan, and is often mentioned in the comic poets. In the course of
time, she stopped having ephemeral lovers and chose the safer life of a concubine.
It was precisely her new status which caused her to be put on trial. More speci-
fically, in 342 BC the orator Apollodorus, acting as an advocate of his kinsman
Theomnestus, argued that Neaera was living as a concubine with Stephanus, but
pretended to be his wife. As a result, her sons and her daughter Phano had usurped
the right of Athenian citizenship, an act considered illegal. In fact, Apollodorus
spends a third of his speech in dealing with Neaera’s career as a courtesan and

209 Philemon’s play (on which Licinius Imbrex’s Neaera was perhaps based) was later than,
and possibly related to, Timocles’ Νέαιρα; see Breitenbach, 1908, 136-8 and Kapparis
1999, 44.
210 This might also be the case for Epicrates’ Antilais, a play which was apparently associated
with a trial involving the famous courtesan Lais; cf. Lys. XCV Against Lais, fr. 208 Carey;
McClure 2003, 40.
211 See Hauschild 1933, 14; Webster 1970, 22-3 and 63-4; Arnott 1996, 52; Henderson
2014, 191-3.