200

Timokles

for impiety {graphs asebeias), like that of Pericles’ Aspasia. In that trial she was
defended by Hyperides, one of her lovers, who managed to rescue her by means
of revealing her breast, perhaps the most theatrical gesture in the history of Attic
oratory (Ath. 13.590d-591e and [Phi.] Vit. dec. or. 849d-e). She was believed to
have been used as a model by Praxiteles for the Aphrodite of Melos and by Apelles
for the painted image of Aphrodite Anadyomene (Ath. 13.590f-591a). In comedy,
Phryne is also mentioned in Timocl. 27 (in Orestautocleides, as an Erinys among
another ten courtesans), Amphis frr. 23,24, Posidipp. fr. 13 (in a scene referring to
her trial) and Anaxil. fr. 22 (as Charybdis). See Schiassi 1951, 237; Cooper 1995,
303-18, who questions the reliability of the tradition about the trial of Phryne;
McClure 2003, 41-2, 54-5, 126-36; Kapparis 2018, 258-61, 439-41.
2-3 την κάππαριν συνέλεγεν For the caper {Capparis spinosa, cf. Ihphr. HP
3.2.1), which is included in Antiph. fr. 140, in a catalogue of αρτύματα (seasonings)
such as lasewort (σίλφιον), thyme and oregano, cf. Philem. fr. 100.5; Alex. fr. 132-6.
For caper as a worthless food, placed in expensive vessels by some nouveaux riches,
cf. Philippid. fr. 9.6-7 και κάππαριν χαλκών τριών έν τρυβλίω / άγοντι πεντήκοντα
δραχμάς άργυρώ “or three coppers’ worth of capers on a silverplate worth fifty
drachmas”; cf. com. adesp. fr. 733 προς κάππαριν ζής δυνάμενος προς άνθίαν “you
live on caper although you could enjoy anthias”. Such self-sown plants were mainly
consumed by poor, rural people. For references to lower-class women occupied in
rural and commercial activities in comedy, cf. Magnes’ Ποάστρια (Bagordo 2014,
104-5), Phrynichus’ Ποάστριαι (Stama 2014, 229-30), Hermippus’ Άρτοπώλιδες
and Theopomus’ Καπήλιδες. Country women usually belonged to the lower social
strata or were of foreign origin, and were favorite targets of the comedians. Cf.
Aristophanes’ mocking allusion to Euripides’ mother, who is described as an im-
poverished hawker of wild herbs: Ach. 478 (said by Dikaiopolis) σκάνδικά μοι δός,
μητρόθεν δεδεγμένος “give me some chervil from your mother’s store”; Ph. 387
(from Mika) Εύριπίδου τού τής λαχανοπωλητρίας; see Roselli 2005,1-49.
δσα περ νΰν έχει For Phryne’s establishment as a wealthy courtesan cf.
the story by Callistratus, cited in Ath. 13.591 d έπλούτει δέ σφόδρα ή Φρύνη και
ύπισχνεΐτο τειχιεΐν τάς Θήβας, έάν έπιγράψωσιν Θηβαίοι δτι ‘Αλέξανδρος μέν
κατέσκαψεν, άνέστησεν δέ Φρύνη ή έταίρα’ “Phryne was extremely rich, and pro-
mised to build a wall around Thebes, if the Thebans would inscribe on the wall,
Alexander destroyed this wall, but Phryne the courtesan restored it’”; cf. Prop.
2.6.1-6. For prices, costs and profits of prostitution cf. Kapparis 2018, 302-13.
πάμπολλ’ άναλίσκων For Phryne as a notorious courtesan who sucks her
lovers’ blood, cf. what Athenaeus says in his Deipnosophists (13.591ο):Ήρόδικος δέ
έν έκτω Κωμωδουμένων τήν μέν παρά τοΐς ρήτορσί φησιν όνομαζομένην Σηστόν
καλεΐσθαι διά τό άποσήθειν και άποδύειν τούς συνόντας αύτή, τήν δέ Θεσπικήν
“Herodicus in Book VI of Individuals Mentioned in Comedy says that the Phryne
referred to by orators as Sestos was so called because she robbed and stripped
the men who slept with her, whereas the other one was from Thespiae.” For avid
courtesans cf. also Timocl. fr. 16 (Pythionice); Davidson 2003, 290-7.