Unforgettable Glimpse of Prostitution in Ancient Greece

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	• Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece Debra Hamel Yale University Press, 2005 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Witty and Well-Written Judicial/Social History

Trying Neaira is just what one would NOT expect an historical nonfiction book to be: witty and easy to read, with little bizarre bits that one just MUST read out loud! Furthermore, her writing style is light and makes a normal dry subject (the ancient Athenian judicial system) interesting and comprehensible.

Neaira was a prostitute in the 4th century, who grew up in Corinth and eventually found herself in a stable relationship as the long-time mistress of an influential Athenian, Stephanos. Unfortunately, Stephanos had an equally influential enemy (or at least rival) Apollodoros. They battled back and forth in the courts, and eventually Apollodoros hit on a different way to attack Stephanos--through Neaira.

Athenian laws were quite strict about foreigners and allowed no intermarriage. Apollodoros set out to prove that Neaira was living with Stephanos as his wife, instead of as his mistress, and that their children were being given the rights of Athenian citizens--which, as Neaira's children, they never could be.

Using Apollodoros speech to the jury, Hamel recreates Neaira's life, while using other sources to fill out the story with interesting details about prostitution, jury duty, social customs and Athenian law.*

Hamel approaches Neaira's life (via the speech) as a detective would, piecing together bits, shifting out obvious falsehoods, and in the end presenting a surprising full picture of one woman's life.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is, or who is NOT, interested in ancient Athenian law. I, myself, had not the least curiosity in said subject and yet found myself fascinated, all the while being constantly entertained by her sly wit and bizarre trivia. I learned enough from this book to become quite interested in Athenian history and I feel it will have the same effect on any other casual historian.

*to qoute from the Preface:
Apollodoros'speech, inevitably hostile to Neaira, must be the principal source for her biography, though we will need very often to question and reject the information he provides. Where what he tells us is not inherently unlikely, however, or contradicted by other sources, and when lying about the issue under discussion would not have furthered the prosecution's case, we can feel reasonably confident about accepting Apollodoros'testimony. Fleshing out Neaira's story, too, will require frequent dips into other source material.

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Truth in titles?

This book which is written in a very delightful and readable style is, unfortunately, mislabeled. A more accurate title would be "Defending Neaira." Even more important is the subtitle, which should read, "Placing Apollodoros' speech 'Against Neaira' (Demosthenes 59) in its proper context." Adding to the misleading nature of the publisher's public presentation of this work is the use of a painting of the trial another hetaira, Phryne, who was tried at a much younger age than was Neaira when she was used by Apollodorus in an effort to destroy the political life of Neaira's lover.

If one chooses to read this book in an effort to discover what the everyday life of a Greek hetaira was like, one is most likely to be seriously disappointed. One may gain a better appreciation of that subject by working one's way through James Davidson's "Courtesans and Fishcakes."

However, this text is highly recommended to anyone who has read (or is required to read) the very biased speech of Apollodoros (catalogued as Demosthenes 59) in the prosecution of Neaira that was undertaken to undermine her lover's political life in Athens. What is most frustrating about all aspects of studying ancient Greek society is the almost total lack of women's voices speaking about women's lives. Debra Hamel's little text is one successful effort to shed light on the way in which surviving literature distorts the reality of women in Ancient Greece. It does that, in my opinion, quite well. However, it does not tell "the true story of a courtesan's scandalous life in Ancient Greece."

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Unforgettable Glimpse of Prostitution in Ancient Greece

This delightfully accessible courtroom drama offers a rare glimpse into the life of a strong willed prostitute who gained, and stood to lose, a measure of domestic tranquility in ancient Greece. The author's considerable research effortlessly contextualizes the mores of an exotic time and place, allowing readers to sympathize fully with an unforgettable protagonist.

Marvelous tale of a Corinthian whore

"Trying Neaira" is a fine example of the type of popular scholarship that will effectively and properly bring classics into the 21st century: accessible to the novice, factually correct, and not overly interpretive or post-structuralist.

Hamel takes us on a whirlwind tour through ancient Attica not only through Neaira's eyes, but makes several stops along the way to explain customs and historical highlights of mid-late 5th and early 4th century Greece pertinent to understanding the story.

I felt that the book was somewhat hyped, expecting to be treated to a climactic judicial clash, except Hamel has all but exhausted the details of the court room drama in constructing Neaira's past, and so little is left for a grand finale. The verdict of the case is alas, lost to the sands of time as well.

I remember the book's dust jacket having printed on it something to the effect of "the author takes a sympathetic eye towards the protagonist." This comes across strongly at times and I tended to raise my eyebrows when Hamel seemed to be defending Neaira's behavior by milking the evidence for all it was worth. But I suppose the occasional author bias is unavoidable when inspired enough to delve into specialized subject matter and when taking great care to draw together so many tidbits of information into such a wonderful narrative as Hamel has done. Most leanings are minor and forgivable

A terrific book on a formerly too obscure character in antiquity.

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Neaira grew up in a Corinthian brothel in the fourth century B.C., became a high-priced courtesan and a sex slave, then settled into a thirty-year relationship with Stephanos of Athens. But next she found herself in court, charged with transgressing Athens?s marriage laws. This book reconstructs the amazing facts of Neaira?s life and trial, illuminating the social, legal, and cultural worlds of ancient Greece.
?Hamel?s treatment of this complicated story is outstanding . . . for its comprehensive [yet remarkably concise] presentation of the social and historical context of fourth-century Athens.??Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic
?[Trying Neaira] is an extraordinary tale, with more than an echo of Arthur Golden?s Memoirs of a Geisha.??Tom Holland, Daily Telegraph00
?A marvelous account of a fascinating series of events in the life of a Greek woman of the fourth century B.C. Hamel tells the tale with clarity and verve and, along the way, she teaches the reader a vast amount about Athenian society in the most interesting and entertaining way.??Donald Kagan, Yale University
?Charmingly written (and) nicely illustrated. . . . Hamel?s account is engaging, accessible to nonexperts, and useful for courses on Athenian society.??Choice
?As told by Debra Hamel, this true-life story offers an extraordinary window on a civilization that wasn?t half so rarefied in its interests or affections as we tend to assume.??The Scotsman

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