FReeper Canteen ~ Part II of Women Warriors:Ancient Greece and Rome ~ January 27, 2004

GenderGap.com ^ | January 27, 2004 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

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Part II: Ancient Greece and Rome
(click on the graphics for links to additional information)

The Greeks also wrote of their own women warriors. Amastris, wife of Dionysius of Heracluria established her own city state by conquering and uniting 4 settlements.

Mausoleum of Halicarnasus

Artemisia I, ruler of the Greek city-state of Halicarnassus and Cos and advisor to Xerxes the ruler of the Persian empire, assisted him in his attacks on the Greeks by commanding a force of warships in the naval battle of Salamis around 480 BC.

Artemisia II, wife of King Mausolus

Soon after construction of the tomb started Artemisia found herself in a crisis. Rhodes, an island in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Asia Minor, had been conquered by Mausolus. When the Rhodians heard of his death they rebelled and sent a fleet of ships to capture the city of Halicarnassus. Knowing that the Rhodian fleet was on the way, Artemisia hid her own ships at a secret location at the east end of the city's harbor. After troops from the Rhodian fleet disembarked to attack, Artemisia's fleet made a surprise raid, captured the Rhodian fleet, and towed it out to sea. Artemisia put her own soldiers on the invading ships and sailed them back to Rhodes. Fooled into thinking that the returning ships were their own victorious navy, the Rhodians failed to put up a defense and the city was easily captured quelling the rebellion. Artemisia lived for only two years after the death of her husband (d.351BC).

Telessilla, a 5th century BC warrior poet, rallied the women of the besieged city of Argos with war hymns and chants and led them in defending the city against the invading forces.

Her fellow citizens had sustained an indescribable disaster at the hands of the Spartans under Cleomenes son of Anaxandridas. Some had fallen in actual battle and of the others, who took sanctuary in the grove of Argus, some had at first ventured out under a truce, only to be burnt to death when Cleomenes set fire to the grove. By these means Cleomenes, proceeding to Argos, led his Lacedaemonians against a city of women.

But Telesilla took all the slaves and all such male citizens who through youth or age had been unable to bear arms, and made them man the walls, and gathering together all the weapons of war that had been left in the houses or were hanging in the temples, armed the younger women and marshaled them at a place she knew the enemy must pass. There, undismayed by the war cry, the women stood their ground and fought with the greatest determination, until the Spartans, reflecting that the slaughter of an army of women would be an equivocal victory and defeat at their hands would be dishonor as well as disaster, laid down their arms. Now this battle had been foretold by the Pythian Priestess, and Herodotus [VI. 77], whether he understood it or not, quotes the oracle as follows:

When male by female is put to flight
And Argos' name with honor is bright
Many an Argive wife will show
Both cheeks marred with scars of woe.

Such is the part of the oracle which refers to the women.

Arachidamia was one of a number of Spartan princesses who led female troops. She fought against Pyrrhus during the siege of Lacedemon in the 3rd century BC. The Princess Chelidonis captained women warriors atop the city wall during a siege of Sparta in 280 BC.

Mosaic of woman armed with spear

Roman women frequently accompanied the Legions and settled with their Legionnaire husbands, fathers and sons in the Empire's remote outposts. Agrippina the Elder, granddaughter of Augustus and mother of Caligula accompanied Germanicus during the Syrian war and gave birth to a daughter in a Roman war camp. Horace wrote of her, "You shall be described as a brave subduer of your enemies, on ship board and on horse back".

This illustration is by Rubens, 1614; traditionally titled "Tiberius and Agrippina," it has recently been thought to be painted from a coin in Rubens possession of Agrippina and her husband, Germanicus. Image from the National Gallery of Art web site.

Rome was still reeling from the disastrous massacre of three legions under Quinctilius Varus in the tuetoberg Forest in 9 AD. Part of Germanicus' popularity came from his successes there and the frenzy of Rome to avenge former defeats. When legions on the Rhine mutinied near Cologne, Agrippina and her children featured prominently in its conclusion. As Tacitus relates, when Germanicus decided to send his pregnant wife and young Caligula away from the mutinous camp, "His wife scorned the proposal, reminding him that she was of the blood of the divine Augustus and would live up to it, whatever the danger." Annals, I.40. Persuaded to leave, Agrippina, her son, and her weeping women left for the safety of the Treveri tribe; the pathetic spectacle of Augustus' pregnant granddaughter and her son refugeeing to a barbarian tribe rather than trust the loyalty of her husband's legions is credited with having turned the mutiny around and saved Germanicus' position with his army. Obviously Agrippina knew how to stage a scene, as she would in a later crisis.

In the first century AD Triaria, dressed and armed as a knight, accompanied her husband, Emperor Lucius Vitellius, into battle and fought at his side.

There are also written records of Roman women gladiators. Tacitus in his Annals writes about Nero in 63 AD staging "a number of gladiatorial shows, equal in magnificence to their predecessors, though more women of rank and senators disgraced themselves in the arena". Tacitus did not approve of well born women competing as gladiators and wrote several indignant protests against the practice. Petronius' Satyricon mentions a circus which featured a female chariot fighter competing against men. The poet Statius wrote a poem about a gladiatorial contest staged by the Emperor Domitian in 88 AD which included, "Moors, women and pygmies". Women were also among the ranks of the venatores, (gladiators who fought wild animals in the arena), according to the writings of Martial and Cassius Dio. In 200 AD Emperor Alexander Severus issued an edict prohibiting women combatants in the arena, but if it was enforced its effect appeared to be short lived.

Women gladiators

Next Tuesday, Part III of Women Warriors:

Middle East and North Africa

[LaDivaLoca]

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[LaDivaLoca]

A good morning to my fellow Canteeners,
our Military, Veterans, Allies and your families





Have a wonderful day!



See you all later.

[trussell]

Good Morning. Thank you for today's thread.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Yo, Diva! Good morning to you!! I hope you are staying warm.

[fatima]

Thank you for all you do,where is breakfast?

[Fawnn]

Thanks for another great thread!

I posted this GOOD NEWS late last night on yesterday's thread, but thought perhaps I should repeat it here for those who may have missed it:

You may recall that I'd asked for prayers for a young man from my daughter's church (Jack Preston, Jr.) who was injured in Iraq. (I apologize, but she doesn't remember which branch of service he was in.) He was close enough to an explosion that it caused lingering ringing in his ears, which in turn caused constant vertigo. ... Well, yesterday he was at church and is now able to walk without the cane! He still has to carry the cane just in case, but she said he walked into church and swung the cane in the air to show everyone how much his condition is improving! All of our prayers are working!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hey, t, on cloud 9, huh? I knew the right thing would come along.

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Duty ~ Honor ~ Country

Click above to visit "A Day in the Life of President Bush"

[fatima]

Fawnn,We Thank Our Father,got to go to bed,love you all,night.

[Kathy in Alaska]

A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you
The love of God enfold you
The power of God protect you
The presence of God watch over you
Wherever you are,God is,
And all is well.
Amen.

Bless This House

Bless this house O Lord we pray;
Make it safe by night and day;
Bless these walls so firm and stout,
Keeping want and trouble out:
Bless the roof and chimneys tall,
Let thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door, that it may prove
ever open to joy and love.


Bless these windows shining bright,
Letting in God's heav'nly light;
Bless the hearth a'blazing there,
with smoke ascending like a prayer;
Bless the folk who dwell within,
keep them pure and free from sin;
Bless us all that we may be
Fit O Lord to dwell with thee;
Bless us all that one day we
May dwell O Lord with thee.

(Click on praying hands above, or on banner at the top to hear the music)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Our National Anthem

radu

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi Stu!! Thank you for serving this great nation of ours.
Prayers for your safety and success in Afghanistan. Thanks to Brad and Graham too.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi, John. Thanks for your service to America. Prayers sent for your success and safety.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, Boys!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Click!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, Girls!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good night, fatima. God bless all of you. Special prayers for Karen as she helps protect America.

[serurier]

Great post , thank you send this post to me , Kathy in Alaska . Thank you again .