Posted on 10/08/2023 7:36:37 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The tomb of a courtesan who seduced the elite 'during Alexander the Great's campaigns' has been discovered after 2,300 years.
Found south of Jerusalem, Israel, it contained the cremated remains of a young woman, and a rare box mirror that looks 'as if it was made yesterday'.
Experts say she was a hetaira – a high-class escort from ancient Greece, who offered elite clients not only sex, but also companionship and intellectual stimulation.
And she may have plied her trade accompanying the armies of Alexander the Great, or those who warred for his vast empire after the conqueror's demise.
The discovery, which is detailed in a new study, is thought to be the first hetairai tomb ever found.
Co-author Guy Stiebel, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University, said it also offered the earliest evidence of cremation found in Israel from the Hellenistic period.
The study concludes: 'It is most likely that this is the tomb of a woman of Greek origin who accompanied a senior member of the Hellenistic army or government, during Alexander the Great's campaigns or more likely during The Wars of the Diadochi (successors).'
...But the tomb's roadside location and distance from any settlement suggested the deceased was accompanying an army on the move – something Greek wives rarely did.
Hence they concluded the tomb belonged to a hetaira...
Dr Stiebel said future tests could reveal precisely whose army the woman was escorting.
He said: 'There are several possibilities ranging from the time of Alexander, through to the Diadochi and the first Syrian Wars.
'For all there are various hints in both the archaeological and historical records.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I was going to render those into Greek letters for laughs, but ran out of gas. G’night all.
https://www.rapidtables.com/math/symbols/greek_alphabet.html
and three sauces.
If women cared about their history, they would virulently object to and oppose trans competitors from women’s sports or risk moving back to 18th and 19th centuries, when they were always considered 2nd class and objectified as having lesser rights than men.
There is no point to the 19th ammendment, ERA or title IX if they don’t fight back.
You are a mean, mean person for posting that!
Clone her so we can evaluate the result.
Hey, they’re really just a bunch of differently equipped guys now, and you know how dumb and lazy we are.
If the remains were cremated, how do they know she’s a woman?
I’ll wait for the Cleopatra clone. :^)
Aspasia of Miletus
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/hetairai/aspasia.html
Theodora (Wife Of Justinian)
https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/t/theodora_wife_of_justinian.html
The shape of the ashtray? Actually, probably the grave goods and/or an inscription.
tangential but maybe of interest to some here (I assume you are familiar with it already SunkenCiv)
this reminds me of the proposed identity of the relics in st mark’s cathedral in venice as macedonian and specifically possibly alexander. there are artifacts in st marks found with the relics in modern times that are explicitly macedonian. it is a fascinating rabbit hole.
notable that the main researcher says that even his theory ir right, there is only a 25%? chance the body would actually be alexanders as there were several points in alexandria where the body might have needed replacing (flood was one), and the relics were LOST for decades in venice pending construction as well.
That might be the remains of the Courtesan, or it might be the remains belonging to one of her Slave Girls. She chose the one who resembled her, in ALL her proportions.
https://www.st-marks-basilica.com/about/
[snip] History of St. Mark’s Basilica in a Nutshell
In 828 AD, two merchants left for Alexandria and visited the St. Mark’s sanctuary that held the Saint’s body. On their visit, they spoke to some of the custodians of the sanctuary who told them that there were talks about demolishing the sanctuary. Hearing this, the merchants want to preserve St. Mark’s body and rescue it in Venice. They hid the body under pork and Alexandria being an Islamic state considered pork haram. This made it a smooth entry into the country.
On reaching Venice with the stolen relic, it was temporarily kept in a chapel within the Doge’s Palace for the initial 2 years. It was then restored to its present home by Doge Domenica in 1071. [/snip]
Oh, here we go... (great tip, btw!)
Is The Body Of Alexander The Great Actually In Saint Mark’s Tomb?
https://www.thecollector.com/alexander-saint-marks-tomb-venice/
I only buy them for their intellectual stimulation.
LOL
True...
If the remains were cremated, how do they know it was a ‘she’?................It was ancient Greece after all................😉
Yeah it seems that back in the day if you got yourself a street name it REALLY applied.
a key claim by the researcher is that the measurements of the masonry piece in venice (clearly macedonian) suggest it would precisely fit the sarcophagus of (forget his name) the emperor who was expelled when alexander conquered egypt and historically was always said to have been used for alexander himself.
the church will not allow any dna testing on the relics, of course (they never do). but it is an interesting topic.
the stories of how st mark died would seem to preclude his own actual body being available.
What emperor? Egypt was a Persian province prior to Alexander’s conquest.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.