Phryne

A Life in Fragments

Melissa Funke (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

208 Seiten

2025
Bloomsbury Academic (Verlag)
978-1-350-37191-0 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. August 2025)
Versandkostenfrei
Auch auf Rechnung

Artikel merken

How did Mnesarete, a girl from Boeotia, turn into Phryne the famous beauty, and how did she end up as an enduring symbol of ancient Greek culture? This book pieces together the story of the notorious fourth-century Athenian sex worker, Phryne. It considers her early life and her development into a cultural figure, whose influence and legacy have lasted from her own lifetime to the present day. It also investigates her infamous nude courtroom appearance, her influence on one of the most well-known statues from antiquity and her connection to celebrated figures from Alexander the Great to the artist Apelles. Her appearances in modern culture, ranging from Belle Epoque cabaret shows to 1950s Italian film, are also analysed, offering an account of how the real life of a woman turned into the biography of a dream girl.

Nothing but fragmentsremain of Phryne’s story, short anecdotes passed on and on again in literary compendia, that tell the story of a witty and beautiful woman who amassed great wealth, associated with some of the most well-known historical figures of ancient Greece. They create an image of a life that is glamorous and titillating, yet they also hint at the tenuous position of a foreign-born sex worker in a society structured to privilege male citizens above all others.

Melissa Funke is Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, where she works on gender and sexuality in ancient Greek literature. She is also co-host of the Peopling the Past podcast, which presents cutting-edge research into the everyday lives of real people in antiquity.

List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Note on Translation

Introduction

Chapter One: Mnesarete to Phryne
Chapter Two: Phryne the Artist’s Model
Chapter Three: Phryne on Trial
Chapter Four: Phryne’s Afterlife

Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	21.8.2025
Zusatzinfo	18 bw illus
Verlagsort	London
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 234 mm
Themenwelt	Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Vor- und Frühgeschichte
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Anglistik / Amerikanistik
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturwissenschaft
ISBN-10	1-350-37191-2 / 1350371912
ISBN-13	978-1-350-37191-0 / 9781350371910
Zustand	Neuware