Leaena
Encyclopedia
Leaena was a hetaera
and the mistress
of Aristogeiton the Tyrannicide.
When Anaxandridas II
was king of Sparta in the 6th century BC, Harmodius and Aristogeiton
were compelled to overthrow the tyranny of Hippias
and Hipparchus
.
Among those captured in the plot to murder Hipparchus was Leaena whom Aristogeiton was in love with. She was tortured to get information about the perpetrators' involvement. Leaena then rose to the occasion to be virtuous, in spite of her "occupation", and bit her tongue off so she would not be capable of revealing detrimental information.
According to Pausanias
, the Athenians unwilling to honour openly a courtesan, they set up a statue of a bronze lioness on the Acropolis
in her memory. The brass lioness statue at the entrance was without a tongue and it was made by the Athenian sculptor Amphicrates according to Pliny
, or made by Calamis and dedicated by Callias according to Pausanias.
Hetaera
In ancient Greece, hetaerae were courtesans, that is to say, highly educated, sophisticated companions...
and the mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of Aristogeiton the Tyrannicide.
When Anaxandridas II
Anaxandridas II
Anaxandridas II was a king of Sparta, son of Leon, between 560 to 525 BC. At the time when Croesus sent his embassy to form alliance with " the mightiest of the Greeks," i. e. about 554, the war with Tegea, which in the late reigns went against them, had now been decided in the Spartans' favour,...
was king of Sparta in the 6th century BC, Harmodius and Aristogeiton
Harmodius and Aristogeiton
Harmodius and Aristogeiton were two men from ancient Athens...
were compelled to overthrow the tyranny of Hippias
Hippias
Hippias of Elis was a Greek Sophist, and a contemporary of Socrates. With an assurance characteristic of the later sophists, he claimed to be regarded as an authority on all subjects, and lectured on poetry, grammar, history, politics, mathematics, and much else...
and Hipparchus
Hipparchus
Hipparchus, the common Latinization of the Greek Hipparkhos, can mean:* Hipparchus, the ancient Greek astronomer** Hipparchic cycle, an astronomical cycle he created** Hipparchus , a lunar crater named in his honour...
.
Among those captured in the plot to murder Hipparchus was Leaena whom Aristogeiton was in love with. She was tortured to get information about the perpetrators' involvement. Leaena then rose to the occasion to be virtuous, in spite of her "occupation", and bit her tongue off so she would not be capable of revealing detrimental information.
According to Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
, the Athenians unwilling to honour openly a courtesan, they set up a statue of a bronze lioness on the Acropolis
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
in her memory. The brass lioness statue at the entrance was without a tongue and it was made by the Athenian sculptor Amphicrates according to Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, or made by Calamis and dedicated by Callias according to Pausanias.
Primary sources
- Pliny the ElderPliny the ElderGaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, Natural History VII.23.87, 34.19.72 - Eusebius, Chronicon 106.1-7
- PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, Moralia On Talkativeness 505E
Secondary sources
- Plutarch, The Morals, volume 4, trans. William W. Goodwin w/ Introduction by Ralph Waldo Emerson, (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1878) The Online Library of Liberty
- The Reign of the Phallus: Sexual Politics in Ancient Athens By Eva C. Keuls, p. 194, University of California Press (1993), ISBN 0520079299
- Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Book II. by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Project Guttenberg
- Eusebius, ChroniconChronicon (Jerome)The Chronicle was a universal chronicle, one of Jerome's earliest attempts in the department of history...
, ed R. Helm (Leipzig, Germany 1913), 106.1-7