From the Iliad and Odyssey onward, ancient Greek sources consistently frame warfare as a male dom... more From the Iliad and Odyssey onward, ancient Greek sources consistently frame warfare as a male domain. Occasional depictions of female warriors, such as the Amazons, serve to reinforce women's "otherness" and the need for their "domestication." Yet historical and literary evidence reveals that women could influence warfare, challenging rigid gender binaries. While recent scholarship has explored women's direct involvement in warfare, their impact on men's military decisions remains underexamined. This paper investigates cases where women actively shaped military choices. Herodotus recounts Atossa urging Darius to launch a campaign (Hdt. 3.134) and Artemisia advising Xerxes during the Persian Wars (8.68–9, 8.101–2). Other examples include Chian women rallying resistance (Plut. De mul. virt. 244F–5B) and Alexandrian women intensifying revolt (Polyb. 15.30.1). Even Andromache, from the walls of Troy, attempts to redirect Hector’s strategy (Il. 6.429–39). Although many examples involve non-Greek women, they reflect broader Greek perceptions of female influence in male-dominated spheres. Further evidence emerges in Against Neaera (Ps.-Demosth. 59.110–11), where fear of women’s disapproval is leveraged rhetorically, and in Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, where women’s persuasive power over military affairs is humorously but sharply explored. The paper analyzes how women encouraged or discouraged military action, examines their motivations, and considers the intersections of gender, race, and cultural identity in these depictions. By combining literary and historical analysis, it sheds new light on women's agency in shaping military decisions and contributes to broader debates on gender and race in ancient warfare.
Piotr BOREK (Cracow) Anxiety and legitimisation of media transition in the late 19th century. Thr... more Piotr BOREK (Cracow) Anxiety and legitimisation of media transition in the late 19th century. Three printing ventures of Bhushan's Brajbhasha book of poetics (1673) h. 9.30-10.00 Martin HRIBEK* (Prague) Benoy Kumar Sarkar's Hindu Sociology: Legitimising strategies for the state and the nation h. 10.00-10.30 Zuzana ŠPICOVÁ* (Prague) Christians, Converts and Courtesans: Independent Women of Śaratcandra Caṭṭopādhyāẏ's Works h. 10.30-11.00 Tatiana DUBYANSKAYA* (Moscow) "Made in heaven": spiritual union in Premchand's early novels h. 11.00-11.30 BREAK CHAIR: Fiorenzo IULIANO h. 11.30-12.00 Gautam CHAKRABARTY (Berlin) 'Tin Kanyā' in Ur-Bollywood: Three Baghdadi-Jewish Actresses Negotiating a Hindu-Muslim Binary h. 12.00-12.30 Ariadna MATYSZKIEWICZ* (Cracow) Sanskrit tricks in the Jain grand narrative: itihāsa and mahākāvya devices in Jinasena's Ādipurāṇa h. 12.30-13.00 Tamara DITRICH* (Sydney/Ljubljana) Paradigmatic similarities between the Aṣṭādhyāyī and the Abhidhamma: an example of pratyaya / paccaya 13.30-13.15 FAREWELL WISHES
Published in A. Camerotto – S. Maso (ed.), La Satira del Successo. La spettacolarizzazione della ... more Published in A. Camerotto – S. Maso (ed.), La Satira del Successo. La spettacolarizzazione della cultura nel mondo antico (tra retorica, filosofia, religione e potere), Milano - Udine 2017, 155-174.
Nel Nigrinus, la metafora teatrale, fra gli stilemi più caratteristici di Luciano, funziona in ma... more Nel Nigrinus, la metafora teatrale, fra gli stilemi più caratteristici di Luciano, funziona in maniera diversa quando associata all'eponimo filosofo e il cosiddetto convertito. Nel primo caso, è il mezzo attraverso cui Luciano pone l'accento sull'estraneità alla scena del mondo, delineando il ruolo di voce satirica; nel secondo, invece, collocando il personaggio al centro della skene, mentre recita uno fra i cambiamenti della sorte satireggiati da Nigrino, suggerisce che ne sia, in realtà, l'oggetto di satira.
Published in A. Camerotto – S. Maso (ed.), La Satira del Successo. La spettacolarizzazione della cultura nel mondo antico (tra retorica, filosofia, religione e potere), Milano - Udine 2017, 155-174.
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This paper investigates cases where women actively shaped military choices. Herodotus recounts Atossa urging Darius to launch a campaign (Hdt. 3.134) and Artemisia advising Xerxes during the Persian Wars (8.68–9, 8.101–2). Other examples include Chian women rallying resistance (Plut. De mul. virt. 244F–5B) and Alexandrian women intensifying revolt (Polyb. 15.30.1). Even Andromache, from the walls of Troy, attempts to redirect Hector’s strategy (Il. 6.429–39). Although many examples involve non-Greek women, they reflect broader Greek perceptions of female influence in male-dominated spheres.
Further evidence emerges in Against Neaera (Ps.-Demosth. 59.110–11), where fear of women’s disapproval is leveraged rhetorically, and in Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, where women’s persuasive power over military affairs is humorously but sharply explored.
The paper analyzes how women encouraged or discouraged military action, examines their motivations, and considers the intersections of gender, race, and cultural identity in these depictions. By combining literary and historical analysis, it sheds new light on women's agency in shaping military decisions and contributes to broader debates on gender and race in ancient warfare.
https://www.camillerindex.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Quaderni-camilleriani-8.pdf
Published in A. Camerotto – S. Maso (ed.), La Satira del Successo. La spettacolarizzazione della cultura nel mondo antico (tra retorica, filosofia, religione e potere), Milano - Udine 2017, 155-174.