Colloquium, Department of Classical Studies
January 16, 2025, 4:45pm - 6:15pm
402 Cohen Hall, 249 South 36th St.
The Aitolian League was a prominent political player on the Mediterranean stage from the early 4th c. until 188 BCE, when it was forced to sign the Treaty of Apamea with the Romans. From then on, the League existed in name only, its power broken and never to return. In the context of this defeat, it is easy to overlook poetry that was written before the League’s fate was decided. This paper zeroes in on poetry composed in the age of the Aitolians’ independence with special attention paid to women’s literary activity.
The most distinctive female voice comes from the region of Karia (PMG 1037). I demonstrate that this song of women from Herakleia under Latmos was an attempt to ally the city with the League through the character of Endymion, the League’s mythological ancestor. In the Karian version of the myth, Endymion emigrated from the Greek Mainland to the coast of Asia Minor, where he had a love affair with Selene, the Moon Goddess. This politicized myth was joined in the song with an older epichoric myth of fifty daughters of Selene who, I suggest, were the archetypical chorus of founders of the Latmian Herakleia.
*4:15-4:45 pm: Coffee and cookies in Cohen Hall 2nd Floor Lounge. All are welcome.*