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Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) 590e · 590e

The trial of Phryne

Myrtilus — Ἕρμιππος. ὁ δὲ Ὑπερείδης συναγορεύων τῇ Φρύνῃ, ὡς οὐδὲν ἤνυε λέγων ἐπίδοξοί τε ἦσαν οἱ δικασταὶ καταψηφιούμενοι, παραγαγὼν αὐτὴν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς καὶ περιρήξας τοὺς χιτωνίσκους γυμνά τε τὰ στέρνα ποιήσας τοὺς ἐπιλογικοὺς οἴκτους ἐκ τῆς ὄψεως αὐτῆς ἐπερρητόρευσεν δεισιδαιμονῆσαί τε ἐποίησεν τοὺς δικαστὰς τὴν ὑποφῆτιν καὶ ζάκορον Ἀφροδίτης ἐλέῳ χαρισαμένους μὴ ἀποκτεῖναι. καὶ ἀφεθείσης ἐγράφη μετὰ ταῦτα ψήφισμα, μηδένα οἰκτίζεσθαι τῶν λεγόντων ὑπέρ τινος μηδὲ βλεπόμενον τὸν κατηγορούμενον ἢ τὴν

So says Hermippus. Hypereides, defending Phryne, was getting nowhere with his speech, and the jurors were about to convict. So he brought her out into full view, tore open her slips and bared her breasts, and made the sight of her the close of his appeal for pity. He made the jurors feel holy dread before the prophetess and temple-servant of Aphrodite, and out of pity they spared her life. Once she was acquitted, a decree was passed that no one speaking for a defendant should plead for pity, and that no accused man or woman should be tried in view…

Word by word

Myrtilus

ἝρμιπποςHérmipposHermippus.ὁho—δὲdèbutὙπερείδηςHypereídēsHypereidesσυναγορεύωνsynagoreúōndefendingτῇtêi—ΦρύνῃPhrýnēiPhryne,ὡςhōswhenοὐδὲνoudènnothingἤνυεḗnyewas achievingλέγωνlégōnby speakingἐπίδοξοίepídoxoílikely toτεteandἦσανêsanwereοἱhoitheδικασταὶdikastaìjurorsκαταψηφιούμενοιkatapsēphioúmenoiconvict,παραγαγὼνparagagṑnhe broughtαὐτὴνautḕnherεἰςeisintoτοὐμφανὲςtoumphanèsfull viewκαὶkaìandπεριρήξαςperirḗxastore openτοὺςtoùsherχιτωνίσκουςchitōnískousslipsγυμνάgymnábareτεte—τὰtàherστέρναstérnabreastsποιήσαςpoiḗsaslaidτοὺςtoùshisἐπιλογικοὺςepilogikoùsclosingοἴκτουςoíktousappealsἐκekwithτῆςtêstheὄψεωςópseōssightαὐτῆςautêsof herἐπερρητόρευσενeperrētóreusenand cappedδεισιδαιμονῆσαίdeisidaimonêsaífeel holy dreadτεteandἐποίησενepoíēsenhe madeτοὺςtoùstheδικαστὰςdikastàsjurorsτὴνtḕntheὑποφῆτινhypophêtinprophetessκαὶkaìandζάκορονzákorontemple-servantἈφροδίτηςAphrodítēsof Aphroditeἐλέῳeléōiout of pityχαρισαμένουςcharisaménousgraciouslyμὴmḕnotἀποκτεῖναιapokteînaikill.καὶkaìandἀφεθείσηςaphetheísēsonce she was acquittedἐγράφηegráphēwas passedμετὰmetàafterταῦταtaûtathisψήφισμαpsḗphismaa decree,μηδέναmēdénathat no oneοἰκτίζεσθαιoiktízesthaishould plead for pityτῶνtôn—λεγόντωνlegóntōnspeakingὑπέρhypérforτινοςtinosanyoneμηδὲmēdèand that noβλεπόμενονblepómenonon viewτὸνtòn—κατηγορούμενονkatēgoroúmenonaccused manἢḕorτὴνtḕn—

Phryne before the judges, as Gérôme painted the trial in 1861 — Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) — Phryne before the judges, as Gérôme painted the trial in 1861 · Jean-Léon Gérôme, Phryné devant l'Aréopage, 1861 · Hamburger Kunsthalle · public domain (photo: anagoria, Wikimedia Commons)

The setting

Myrtilus is telling the stories of famous courtesans. Phryne of Thespiae, the most famous of them, was put on trial for her life in the 4th century BC, and the orator Hypereides, who was in love with her, defended her.

A note on this passage

This is the most famous courtroom scene in antiquity, and it may not have happened like this. Hermippus wrote biographies a century later and liked a good story. Hypereides' own speech for Phryne was read for centuries and survives only in fragments, and later writers disagree about who did the baring.<br><br>Notice the argument the story gives the jurors. They do not acquit a beautiful woman because she is beautiful. They acquit Aphrodite's servant because killing her would be impious. Beauty here is a kind of holiness, which is why Athens then passed a law to keep defendants out of sight.

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