Consider
the description of them by the fifth-century BCE historian Herodotus:
As regards war, the Scythian custom is for every man to drink the blood of the first man he kills.
As regards war, the Scythian custom is for every man to drink the blood of the first man he kills.
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Part of Aristophanes's genius was his ability to create wildly improbable--or impos- sible--comic scenes and situations.
He did this time and time again, but probably nowhere more outrageously than in Lysistrata.
The very idea that women--mere women--could seize and occupy the Acropolis (the citadel of Athens and location of some of the most important religious shrines and public buildings in the city) would have been laughable, completely impossible in real-life Athens.
But such a scenario was completely possible in the mind of Aristophanes.
The leader of the assault was the title character, Lysistrata, whose name appropriately means "army dissolver.
"
3. Neither the Greeks nor the Romans had modern-style professional police forces to keep order and enforce the laws. The Athenians, however, maintained a quasi- police force made up of Scythian archers (see sidebar), under the general control of the probouloi, a "Committee of Ten for the Safety of the State. " One of these 10 probouloi, the Magistrate, appears in the document.
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4. Three women finally emerge from behind the protective gates of the Acropolis: Lysistrata and two of her co-conspirators, Calonice and Myrrhine. A fourth woman, Stratyllis, leader of a group of old women, also appears.
Document: Ill-Behaved Women
(The situation: The women have successfully taken over the Acropolis, having just turned back a gaggle of ridiculously feeble old men who had tried to evict them. "As if in answer to their call, an elderly magistrate [a proboulos, as mentioned in "Keep in Mind as You Read"] of severe appearance enters, attended by four Scythian policemen. The women. . . await develop- ments. The Magistrate has not, in fact, come in answer to the men's appeal, and he at first takes no notice of their bedraggled appearance [they had just been doused with pitchers of water by the women]. Of the women, he takes no notice at all. ).
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Adonis: A handsome young man beloved by the goddess Aphrodite (and therefore, presumably, also by mortal women). He was killed by wild boars.
Artemis: How appropriately ironic that Lysistrata should appeal to the bow-and-arrow-equipped huntress goddess Artemis, in her threat against the Scythian archer-policeman!
Assembly: The main legislative body in the Athenian democracy. All male citizens were eligible to participate in its debates, deliberations, and votes.
Cholozyges: According to Benjamin Rogers, Demostratus's nickname was Bouzyges, "Ox-Yoker," perhaps slightly pejorative, like the modern term "dirt farmer" or "sod buster. " Aristophanes created a new nick- name for the estimable Demos- tratus, Cholozyges, "Anger-Yoker. " (Aristophanes was a master at fash- ioning neologisms, and this is yet another example. ) The document translator, Alan Sommerstein, ren- ders the word as "from Angeriae," his own neologism, which plays off the anger theme.
Demostratus was a leading demagogue of the time; in his biography of Nicias (chapter 12), Plutarch remarks that Demostratus was aggressively demonstrative in his support of the proposed Sicilian Expedition. Nicias, on the other hand, was one of the few prominent
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MAGISTRATE:
I hear it's the same old thing again--the unbridled nature of the female sex coming out. All their banging of drums in honor of that Sabazius [an eastern god] . . . and singing to Adonis on the roofs of the houses, and all that nonsense. I remember once in the Assembly--Demostratus, may he come to no good end, was saying we ought to send the expedition to Sicily, and this woman, who was dancing on the roof, she cried, "O woe for Adonis! ," and then he went on and said we should include some heavy infantry from Zacynthus, and the woman on the roof--she'd had a bit to drink, I fancy-- she shouted, "Mourn for Adonis, all ye people! " but the damnable scoundrel from [Cholozyges] just blustered on and on. Anyway . . . that's the sort of outrage that women get up to.
Wait till you hear what this
lot have done. We have been brutally assaulted, and what is more, we have been given an unsolicited bath out of these pots . . . and all our clothes are wringing wet. Anybody would think we were incontinent!
LEADER OF THE OLD MEN:
MAGISTRATE:
Disgraceful. Disgraceful. But by Poseidon the Shipbuilder, I'm not surprised. Look at the way we pander to the women's vices--we positively teach them to be wicked. That's why we get this kind of conspiracy. Think of when we go to the shops, for example. We might go to the goldsmith's and say, "Goldsmith, the necklace you made for my wife--she was dancing last night and the clasp came unstuck. [Please reset it for her. ]" Or perhaps we go into a shoemaker's . . . and we say, "Shoemaker, the toe-strap on my wife's sandal is hurting her little toe--it's rather tender, you know. [Please refit it for her. ]" And now look what's happened. I, a member of the Committee of Ten [see "Keep in Mind as You Read"] having found a source of supply for timber to make oars, and now requiring money to buy it, come to the Acropolis and find the women have shut the doors in my face! [Now speaking to the four Scythian policemen, who have apparently done nothing up to this point to apprehend and arrest the women. ] No good stand- ing around! Fetch the crowbars, some- body, and we'll soon put a stop to this nonsense. [To two of the policemen. ]: What are you gawking at, you fool? And you? Dreaming about [the bar scene], eh? [Crowbars are brought in. ] Let's get these bars under the doors and lever them up. I'll help. [They begin to move the crowbars into position, when Lysistrata, Calonice, and Myrrhine open the gates and come out. ]
No need to use force. I'm coming out of my own free will. What's the use
of crowbars? It's intelligence and common sense that we need, not violence.
You disgusting creature! Officer! Take her and tie her hands behind her back. By Artemis, if he so much as touches me, I'll teach him to know his place! [The policeman hesitates. ]
Women? Taking Over the Acropolis?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? politicians who opposed it. Aristophanes, a relentless critic of the Peloponnesian War, not sur- prisingly expresses a wish (via the Magistrate) that Demostratus might "come to no good end" and refers to him as a "damnable scoundrel. "
know his place: Aristophanes uses the word demosios to refer to the policeman, literally "public [ser- vant]," but the word seems to have a slightly pejorative connotation, something like "disrespected" or "low-ranking" public servant.
make oars, and now requiring money to buy it: The Magistrate reveals his true purpose in coming to the Acropolis, as mentioned just above. The Peloponnesian War had begun some 20 years earlier, and so by this time, war materiel was in short sup- ply. The Magistrate, having (appa- rently) unexpectedly come upon "a source of supply for timber," is anx- ious to close the deal, but he needs money in order to do this.
no plunder will be taken. In the many battle scenes described in Homer's epic poem the Iliad, it is a mark of high honor and great distinction for a warrior to strip the armor off an enemy soldier whom he has slain, and there is a concomitant obligation on the part of the fallen soldier's comrades to protect that armor. A literal translation of Lysistrata's words indicate that she has ordered her female troops not to try to strip the vanquished Scythian policemen of their weaponry.
Officer: The Greek word used here, toxotes, and translated as "officer," literally means "archer. "
Pandrosus: Pandrosus was a minor goddess who served as a priestess
? ? ? LYSISTRATA:
MAGISTRATE: LYSISTRATA:
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MAGISTRATE:
CALONICE [interposing herself between second policeman and Lysistrata]: MAGISTRATE:
MYRRHINE [interposing herself between third policeman and Calonice]: MAGISTRATE:
STRATYLLIS [intervening in her turn]:
MAGISTRATE:
LYSISTRATA:
MAGISTRATE [calling her bluff]:
LYSISTRATA [to the women inside]:
MAGISTRATE [his hand to his head]:
Frightened, eh? Go on, the two of you, up-end her and tie her up! Ifyousomuchaslayafingeronher,by Pandrosus, I'll hit you so hard, you'll [spill out your guts] all over the place.
Obscene language! Officer! [To third policeman]. Tie this one up first, and stop her mouth.
By the Giver of Light [another name for Artemis], if you touch her, you'll soon by crying out for a cupping glass!
What's all this? Officer! [to fourth policeman] Get hold of her. I'm going to stop this relay sometime.
By the Bull Goddess [yet another name for Artemis], if you go near her, I'll make you scream! [Giving an exemplary tug to fourth policeman's hair. ]
Heaven help me, I've no more archers! Well, we mustn't let ourselves be worsted by women. Come on, officers, we'll charge them, all together.
If you do, . . . you'll find out that we've got four whole companies of fighting women in there, fully armed.
Twist their arms behind them, officers. [The policemen approach the four women with intent to do this. ]
Come out, the reserve! . . . Come to our help! [Four bands of women emerge from the Acropolis. ] Drag them along! Hit them! Shout rude words in their faces! [The policemen are quickly brought to the ground, and punched and kicked as they lie there. ] All right--withdraw--no plunder will be taken. [The women retire into the Acropolis. ]
My bowmen have been utterly defeated!
[Tr. Alan H. Sommerstein. Aristophanes: The Acharnians; The Clouds; Lysistrata. (Lysistrata ll. 390 ff. )
Penguin Books, 1973. Page numbers: 196, 197, 198, 199. ]
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? of Athena. A shrine on the
Acropolis was dedicated to her. relay: Referring to the seemingly con- stant stream of women pouring forth from the Acropolis. The Greek word is exodos, literally "out onto the road," and the source of
our word "exodus. "
Shipbuilder: The Magistrate has come
to the Acropolis to obtain money for building ships, so shipbuilding is on his mind. (The Parthenon, the famous temple dedicated to Athena on the Acropolis, was used as a kind of repository of money, almost like a bank. )
Zacynthus: A small island off the west coast of Greece, and a staunch ally of Athens during the Peloponnesian War. But it does not seem to have had much to offer in the way of mili- tary hardware or manpower, so it seems odd that Demostratus would suggest recruiting "some heavy infantry" from that place. Possibly Aristophanes is making a wry com- ment that the Athenians have sunk so low after the Sicilian disaster that they must appeal to the likes of the Zacynthians for military assistance.
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Women? Taking Over the Acropolis?
? ? ? ? SCYTHIAN POLICEMEN? REALLY?
The Athenian police force, such as it was, consisted primarily of archers from the untamed land of Scythia, located in modern Romania. The Scythians seemed an odd culture group from which to recruit law enforce- ment officers.
Consider the description of them by the fifth-century BCE historian Herodotus:
As regards war, the Scythian custom is for every man to drink the blood of the first man he kills. The heads of all enemies killed in battle are taken to the king . . . Many Scythians sew a number of scalps together and make cloaks out of them . . . [Many other gruesome stories of Scythian atrocities are related next] . . . Once a year the governor of each district mixes a bowl of wine, from which every Scythian who has killed his man in battle has the right to drink. Those who have no dead enemy to their credit are not allowed to touch the wine, but have to sit by themselves in disgrace--the worst, indeed, which they can suffer. Any man, on the contrary, who has killed a great many enemies, has two cups and drinks from both of them at once. [Herodotus. The Histories 4. 65; tr. de Selincourt. ]
? ? ? AFTERMATH
The rebellious women who took over the Acropolis eventually surrendered, but only after exacting from the men a pledge to end the Peloponnesian War, which was the women's objective in the first place. In reality, the war did go on, finally coming to an inglorious con- clusion for Athens, in 405, when the Spartans occupied the city and burned much of it.
ASK YOURSELF
1. According to the Magistrate, what is the main reason that the women of Athens are engaging in such lawless behavior? Is his theory defensible?
2. The Magistrate references the god Poseidon with the epithet "Shipbuilder," but this is an unusual name for Poseidon. With what epithet(s) is he more commonly associated?
3. What is the Magistrate's attitude toward women in general? What does he think about the actions of Lysistrata and her followers?
TOPICS TO CONSIDER
e Based on what Herodotus wrote about Scythian culture and some of their barbarous practices, why do you suppose the Athenians would want Scythians as police officers? Herodotus describes the Scythians as fierce warriors. Why, then, do you think they were so inept in their role as police officers? (Aristophanes portrays them as completely unable to take the women into custody. )
e A follow-up to the previous question: Can you think of any similar exam- ples in modern times in which inappropriately recruited or trained security officers were used to keep order or to enforce laws?
e WhydoyousupposeAristophanesdidnotassignanyspeakingpartstothe Scythian policemen?
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210
e IfAristophaneswoulduseawordlikedemosiostodescribeoneofthepolice officers--a word that implies a lack of respect--what does that tell us about the Athenian attitude in general toward their Scythian police force?
e Canyouthinkofanycontemporarysituations,eitherintheUnitedStates or abroad, in which riots broke out, and the rioters intimidated and over- came law enforcement personnel in the same manner as did Lysistrata and her intrepid band of "four whole companies of fighting women"?
Further Information
Dover, Kenneth J. Aristophanic Comedy. London, 1972.
Ehrenberg, Victor. The People of Aristophanes. Oxford, 1951. Whitman, C. H. Aristophanes and the Comic Hero. Cambridge, 1964.
Websites
Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Plot summary. http://www. cummingsstudyguides. net/ Lysistrata. htm
Lysistrata: An Introduction to the Play by Aristophanes. http://theatredatabase. com/ancient/ aristophanes_005. html
Bibliography for Document
Rogers, Benjamin Bickley (tr. ). Aristophanes. The Lysistrata; The Thesmophoriazusae; The Ecclesiazusae. The Plutus. Volume III. [LCL. ] Cambridge and London, 1924.
de Selincourt, Aubrey (tr. ). Herodotus: The Histories. Baltimore, 1954.
Sommerstein, Alan H. (tr. ). Aristophanes: Lysistrata and Other Plays. New York, 1973.
40. A TRIBUNE SPEAKS, A RIOT ENSUES
INTRODUCTION
When we think of dangers arising from street fights, muggings, and assaults, our initial image of the perpetrators is probably one of desperate or violent criminals. And most ancient Romans probably thought along the same lines. So it must have come as a great shock when the riot that erupted in 133 BCE, and resulted in the loss of some 300 lives, was fomented not by the criminal element but by some of the most highly respected members of the Roman Senate.
KEEP IN MIND AS YOU READ
1. The office of tribune was established in the fifth century BCE as an annual magis- tracy. Tribunes--10 each year--were charged with protecting the interests of the plebeians (Romans who were not of noble birth, and generally not the wealthiest citizens), especially in the legislative assemblies. Tribunes had the unusual power of virtually shutting down the Roman government by interposing their veto of any proposed legislative action that they deemed harmful to plebeian interests; one tribunician veto was sufficient to accomplish this. In actual practice, the trib- unes seldom exercised this extraordinary power, although Gracchus himself had been the victim of such a move during his tribunate when a fellow tribune, Marcus Octavius, vetoed the land reform measure that Gracchus had proposed.
2. Tiberius Gracchus successfully ran for the office of tribune in the fall of 134 BCE, with his tenure for one year, beginning in 133 BCE. The trouble described below was sparked when Gracchus announced that he intended to run for reelection. By custom, Roman officeholders were not permitted to do this; "one (year) and done" was the rule. Hard-line conservatives like Nasica were outraged, and perhaps a little frightened, by Gracchus's attempt to breach tradition.
3. Gracchus's signature political issue was land reform. Rome, and Italy generally, was suffering from the twin problems of homelessness and hunger, and Gracchus was determined to try to effect a solution. Many of the homeless people, especially in the rural areas, had lost their ancestral land holdings due to the devious and often illegal machinations of rich land speculators in Rome. Gracchus announced during his campaign for the tribunate that, if elected, he would introduce legislation
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designed to bring about a more equitable division of farm land. Naturally, the weal- thy occupiers of the lands opposed this effort, with the result that Gracchus's year as a tribune was marked by intense controversy. Ultimately, however, he succeeded in passing his land reform measure. His opponents probably felt that they could endure one year of Gracchus, secure in the knowledge that he could not run for re-election. So his proclamation that he would indeed run for another one-year term as tribune increased the already considerable animosity toward him, and probably led directly to his assassination.
Document: The Downfall of Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius passed on this news [of a possible assassination attempt] to his supporters who were standing round him, and they at once girded up their togas. Then they broke up the staves which the officers use to keep back the crowd, distributed these, and prepared to defend them- selves against the attackers. Those who were standing far- ther away were at a loss to know what was happening and asked what it meant. Thereupon, Tiberius raised his hand to his head intending, since the people could not hear his voice, to signify that his life was in danger. But when his enemies saw this gesture, they rushed to the Senate and reported that Tiberius was asking for a crown, and that they had the proof of this in the signal he had just given. This created an uproar in the Senate, and Nasica demanded that the consul must now act to protect the state and put down the tyrant. The consul answered in conciliatory fashion that he would not be the first to use violence, and would put no citizen to death without a regular trial. On the other hand, he declared that, if Tiberius should incite or oblige the people to pass any illegal resolution, he would not consider it to be binding. At this, Nasica sprang to his feet and shouted, "Now that the consul has betrayed the state, let every man who wishes to uphold the laws follow me! " Then he drew the skirt of his toga over his head [in preparation for the stave-wielding violence he apparently anticipated] and strode out towards the Capitol. The Senators who followed him wrapped their togas over their left arms [leaving their right arms free for staves] and thrust aside anyone who stood in their path. Nobody dared to oppose them out of respect for their rank, but those whom they met took to their heels and trampled down one another as they fled.
The senators' followers were armed with clubs and staves, which they had brought from their houses. The sen- ators themselves snatched up the legs and fragments of the
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? asking for a crown: The Romans hated the idea of being ruled by a king, and any credible politician who was believed--rightly or wrongly--to be aiming at royal power for himself would encounter fierce and intense opposition.
consul: Publius Mucius Scaevola is meant. He was a political ally and adviser of Gracchus, so it is hardly surprising that he refused Nasica's demand that he "act. . . to put down the tyrant. "
girded up their togas: The equivalent of our colloquialism "rolling up one's sleeves. " The loosely hanging toga had to be rolled up in order to free the wearer's arms for using the spear shafts effectively.
Nasica: Full name: Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio, and a cousin of Tiberius Gracchus. But he was no friend of Gracchus; he staunchly opposed his cousin politically and would not tolerate his efforts to run for reelection to the tribunate.
the officers use to keep back the crowd: The Greek reads aneirgousi ton ochlon, "they keep back the crowd," but without a noun to indicate the identity of "they. " Apparently, "they" were some sort of security detail, perhaps analo- gous to lictors (see sidebar, below).
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benches which the crowd had broken in their hurry to
escape, and made straight for Tiberius, lashing out at those
who were drawn up in front of him. His protectors were
quickly scattered or clubbed down, and as Tiberius turned
to run, someone caught hold of his clothing. He threw off
his toga and fled in his tunic, but then stumbled over some
of the prostrate bodies in front of him. As he struggled to
his feet, one of his fellow tribunes, Publius Satyreius . . .
dealt the first blow, striking him on the head with the leg of a bench. Lucius Rufus claimed to have given him the second, and prided himself upon this as if it were some noble exploit. More than three hundred men were killed by blows from sticks and stones, but none by the sword . . .
This is said to have been the first outbreak of civil strife in Rome which ended in bloodshed and death of citizens, since the expulsion of the kings [which occurred around 509 BCE, with the overthrow of Tarquinius Superbus]. All the other disputes, although they were neither trivial in them- selves nor concerned with trivial objects, were resolved by some form of com- promise . . . But the conspiracy which was formed against [Gracchus] seems to have had its origin in the hatred and malevolence of the rich rather than in the excuses which they put forward for their action. [Tr. Ian Scott-Kilvert. Plutarch: The Makers of Rome, Nine Lives. (Tiberius Gracchus 19, 20. ) Penguin Classics, 1975. Page numbers: 171, 172. ]
AFTERMATH
The assassination of Tiberius Gracchus ushered in a new era in Roman history, in which many of the traditional institutions and customs of the Republic began to be ignored. The violation of tribunician sacrosanctitas, in particular, set a dangerous precedent, and this extreme disrespect to tribunes was destined to be repeated in the case of Gaius Gracchus and other tribunes. Some modern historians see 133 BCE as a kind of watershed year in Roman history, when the decline of the Roman Republic first started to gather momentum.
A Tribune Speaks, a Riot Ensues
? their rank: The Roman Senate was comprised of the most experienced and distinguished citizens, so they automatically commanded respect.
? ? ? ? ? ? THE ROMAN VERSION OF THE SECRET SERVICE
In order to protect the leading officeholders of the state, the Romans created a cadre of official bodyguards called lictors. Whenever the chief magistrates--particularly consuls--appeared in public, the lictors preceded them and cleared a path for them. The lictors carried a bundle of rods bound together with leather straps and with axe- heads protruding from each end--the fasces (hence our word "fascist")--which symbolized the power of the magistrate to mete out punishments to lawbreakers: the rods for flogging and the axe-heads for execution. They could also use the fasces in a practical way, as a weapon, should the magistrate be threatened with attack. Each consul was assigned 12 lictors; lesser ranking officials had fewer lictors. Unfortunately for Tiberius Gracchus, tribunes did not qualify for this Roman version of Secret Service protection. Perhaps Gracchus would have survived the attack on his life had lictors been provided for him.
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? ? ? ? LIKE BROTHER, LIKE BROTHER
Tiberius Gracchus's brother Gaius, nine years his junior, held the office of tribune in 123 and again in 122. Gaius, like Tiberius, was a tribune on a mission: to correct what he saw as injustices and especially to be an advocate for the less fortunate citizens. Like Tiberius, Gaius ran for reelection to the tribunate, but unlike his brother, he succeeded. However, his effort to obtain a third term as tribune failed, and, like his brother, he was killed in a civil disturbance that followed.
? ? ? ASK YOURSELF
1. Why do you suppose Plutarch emphasizes that of the 300 casualties of the riot, all were killed "by blows from sticks and stones, but none by the sword"?
2. Plutarch writes that when Gracchus raised his hand to his head, his enemies inter- preted that gesture to signify that he "was asking for a crown.
3. Neither the Greeks nor the Romans had modern-style professional police forces to keep order and enforce the laws. The Athenians, however, maintained a quasi- police force made up of Scythian archers (see sidebar), under the general control of the probouloi, a "Committee of Ten for the Safety of the State. " One of these 10 probouloi, the Magistrate, appears in the document.
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4. Three women finally emerge from behind the protective gates of the Acropolis: Lysistrata and two of her co-conspirators, Calonice and Myrrhine. A fourth woman, Stratyllis, leader of a group of old women, also appears.
Document: Ill-Behaved Women
(The situation: The women have successfully taken over the Acropolis, having just turned back a gaggle of ridiculously feeble old men who had tried to evict them. "As if in answer to their call, an elderly magistrate [a proboulos, as mentioned in "Keep in Mind as You Read"] of severe appearance enters, attended by four Scythian policemen. The women. . . await develop- ments. The Magistrate has not, in fact, come in answer to the men's appeal, and he at first takes no notice of their bedraggled appearance [they had just been doused with pitchers of water by the women]. Of the women, he takes no notice at all. ).
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Adonis: A handsome young man beloved by the goddess Aphrodite (and therefore, presumably, also by mortal women). He was killed by wild boars.
Artemis: How appropriately ironic that Lysistrata should appeal to the bow-and-arrow-equipped huntress goddess Artemis, in her threat against the Scythian archer-policeman!
Assembly: The main legislative body in the Athenian democracy. All male citizens were eligible to participate in its debates, deliberations, and votes.
Cholozyges: According to Benjamin Rogers, Demostratus's nickname was Bouzyges, "Ox-Yoker," perhaps slightly pejorative, like the modern term "dirt farmer" or "sod buster. " Aristophanes created a new nick- name for the estimable Demos- tratus, Cholozyges, "Anger-Yoker. " (Aristophanes was a master at fash- ioning neologisms, and this is yet another example. ) The document translator, Alan Sommerstein, ren- ders the word as "from Angeriae," his own neologism, which plays off the anger theme.
Demostratus was a leading demagogue of the time; in his biography of Nicias (chapter 12), Plutarch remarks that Demostratus was aggressively demonstrative in his support of the proposed Sicilian Expedition. Nicias, on the other hand, was one of the few prominent
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MAGISTRATE:
I hear it's the same old thing again--the unbridled nature of the female sex coming out. All their banging of drums in honor of that Sabazius [an eastern god] . . . and singing to Adonis on the roofs of the houses, and all that nonsense. I remember once in the Assembly--Demostratus, may he come to no good end, was saying we ought to send the expedition to Sicily, and this woman, who was dancing on the roof, she cried, "O woe for Adonis! ," and then he went on and said we should include some heavy infantry from Zacynthus, and the woman on the roof--she'd had a bit to drink, I fancy-- she shouted, "Mourn for Adonis, all ye people! " but the damnable scoundrel from [Cholozyges] just blustered on and on. Anyway . . . that's the sort of outrage that women get up to.
Wait till you hear what this
lot have done. We have been brutally assaulted, and what is more, we have been given an unsolicited bath out of these pots . . . and all our clothes are wringing wet. Anybody would think we were incontinent!
LEADER OF THE OLD MEN:
MAGISTRATE:
Disgraceful. Disgraceful. But by Poseidon the Shipbuilder, I'm not surprised. Look at the way we pander to the women's vices--we positively teach them to be wicked. That's why we get this kind of conspiracy. Think of when we go to the shops, for example. We might go to the goldsmith's and say, "Goldsmith, the necklace you made for my wife--she was dancing last night and the clasp came unstuck. [Please reset it for her. ]" Or perhaps we go into a shoemaker's . . . and we say, "Shoemaker, the toe-strap on my wife's sandal is hurting her little toe--it's rather tender, you know. [Please refit it for her. ]" And now look what's happened. I, a member of the Committee of Ten [see "Keep in Mind as You Read"] having found a source of supply for timber to make oars, and now requiring money to buy it, come to the Acropolis and find the women have shut the doors in my face! [Now speaking to the four Scythian policemen, who have apparently done nothing up to this point to apprehend and arrest the women. ] No good stand- ing around! Fetch the crowbars, some- body, and we'll soon put a stop to this nonsense. [To two of the policemen. ]: What are you gawking at, you fool? And you? Dreaming about [the bar scene], eh? [Crowbars are brought in. ] Let's get these bars under the doors and lever them up. I'll help. [They begin to move the crowbars into position, when Lysistrata, Calonice, and Myrrhine open the gates and come out. ]
No need to use force. I'm coming out of my own free will. What's the use
of crowbars? It's intelligence and common sense that we need, not violence.
You disgusting creature! Officer! Take her and tie her hands behind her back. By Artemis, if he so much as touches me, I'll teach him to know his place! [The policeman hesitates. ]
Women? Taking Over the Acropolis?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? politicians who opposed it. Aristophanes, a relentless critic of the Peloponnesian War, not sur- prisingly expresses a wish (via the Magistrate) that Demostratus might "come to no good end" and refers to him as a "damnable scoundrel. "
know his place: Aristophanes uses the word demosios to refer to the policeman, literally "public [ser- vant]," but the word seems to have a slightly pejorative connotation, something like "disrespected" or "low-ranking" public servant.
make oars, and now requiring money to buy it: The Magistrate reveals his true purpose in coming to the Acropolis, as mentioned just above. The Peloponnesian War had begun some 20 years earlier, and so by this time, war materiel was in short sup- ply. The Magistrate, having (appa- rently) unexpectedly come upon "a source of supply for timber," is anx- ious to close the deal, but he needs money in order to do this.
no plunder will be taken. In the many battle scenes described in Homer's epic poem the Iliad, it is a mark of high honor and great distinction for a warrior to strip the armor off an enemy soldier whom he has slain, and there is a concomitant obligation on the part of the fallen soldier's comrades to protect that armor. A literal translation of Lysistrata's words indicate that she has ordered her female troops not to try to strip the vanquished Scythian policemen of their weaponry.
Officer: The Greek word used here, toxotes, and translated as "officer," literally means "archer. "
Pandrosus: Pandrosus was a minor goddess who served as a priestess
? ? ? LYSISTRATA:
MAGISTRATE: LYSISTRATA:
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MAGISTRATE:
CALONICE [interposing herself between second policeman and Lysistrata]: MAGISTRATE:
MYRRHINE [interposing herself between third policeman and Calonice]: MAGISTRATE:
STRATYLLIS [intervening in her turn]:
MAGISTRATE:
LYSISTRATA:
MAGISTRATE [calling her bluff]:
LYSISTRATA [to the women inside]:
MAGISTRATE [his hand to his head]:
Frightened, eh? Go on, the two of you, up-end her and tie her up! Ifyousomuchaslayafingeronher,by Pandrosus, I'll hit you so hard, you'll [spill out your guts] all over the place.
Obscene language! Officer! [To third policeman]. Tie this one up first, and stop her mouth.
By the Giver of Light [another name for Artemis], if you touch her, you'll soon by crying out for a cupping glass!
What's all this? Officer! [to fourth policeman] Get hold of her. I'm going to stop this relay sometime.
By the Bull Goddess [yet another name for Artemis], if you go near her, I'll make you scream! [Giving an exemplary tug to fourth policeman's hair. ]
Heaven help me, I've no more archers! Well, we mustn't let ourselves be worsted by women. Come on, officers, we'll charge them, all together.
If you do, . . . you'll find out that we've got four whole companies of fighting women in there, fully armed.
Twist their arms behind them, officers. [The policemen approach the four women with intent to do this. ]
Come out, the reserve! . . . Come to our help! [Four bands of women emerge from the Acropolis. ] Drag them along! Hit them! Shout rude words in their faces! [The policemen are quickly brought to the ground, and punched and kicked as they lie there. ] All right--withdraw--no plunder will be taken. [The women retire into the Acropolis. ]
My bowmen have been utterly defeated!
[Tr. Alan H. Sommerstein. Aristophanes: The Acharnians; The Clouds; Lysistrata. (Lysistrata ll. 390 ff. )
Penguin Books, 1973. Page numbers: 196, 197, 198, 199. ]
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? of Athena. A shrine on the
Acropolis was dedicated to her. relay: Referring to the seemingly con- stant stream of women pouring forth from the Acropolis. The Greek word is exodos, literally "out onto the road," and the source of
our word "exodus. "
Shipbuilder: The Magistrate has come
to the Acropolis to obtain money for building ships, so shipbuilding is on his mind. (The Parthenon, the famous temple dedicated to Athena on the Acropolis, was used as a kind of repository of money, almost like a bank. )
Zacynthus: A small island off the west coast of Greece, and a staunch ally of Athens during the Peloponnesian War. But it does not seem to have had much to offer in the way of mili- tary hardware or manpower, so it seems odd that Demostratus would suggest recruiting "some heavy infantry" from that place. Possibly Aristophanes is making a wry com- ment that the Athenians have sunk so low after the Sicilian disaster that they must appeal to the likes of the Zacynthians for military assistance.
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Women? Taking Over the Acropolis?
? ? ? ? SCYTHIAN POLICEMEN? REALLY?
The Athenian police force, such as it was, consisted primarily of archers from the untamed land of Scythia, located in modern Romania. The Scythians seemed an odd culture group from which to recruit law enforce- ment officers.
Consider the description of them by the fifth-century BCE historian Herodotus:
As regards war, the Scythian custom is for every man to drink the blood of the first man he kills. The heads of all enemies killed in battle are taken to the king . . . Many Scythians sew a number of scalps together and make cloaks out of them . . . [Many other gruesome stories of Scythian atrocities are related next] . . . Once a year the governor of each district mixes a bowl of wine, from which every Scythian who has killed his man in battle has the right to drink. Those who have no dead enemy to their credit are not allowed to touch the wine, but have to sit by themselves in disgrace--the worst, indeed, which they can suffer. Any man, on the contrary, who has killed a great many enemies, has two cups and drinks from both of them at once. [Herodotus. The Histories 4. 65; tr. de Selincourt. ]
? ? ? AFTERMATH
The rebellious women who took over the Acropolis eventually surrendered, but only after exacting from the men a pledge to end the Peloponnesian War, which was the women's objective in the first place. In reality, the war did go on, finally coming to an inglorious con- clusion for Athens, in 405, when the Spartans occupied the city and burned much of it.
ASK YOURSELF
1. According to the Magistrate, what is the main reason that the women of Athens are engaging in such lawless behavior? Is his theory defensible?
2. The Magistrate references the god Poseidon with the epithet "Shipbuilder," but this is an unusual name for Poseidon. With what epithet(s) is he more commonly associated?
3. What is the Magistrate's attitude toward women in general? What does he think about the actions of Lysistrata and her followers?
TOPICS TO CONSIDER
e Based on what Herodotus wrote about Scythian culture and some of their barbarous practices, why do you suppose the Athenians would want Scythians as police officers? Herodotus describes the Scythians as fierce warriors. Why, then, do you think they were so inept in their role as police officers? (Aristophanes portrays them as completely unable to take the women into custody. )
e A follow-up to the previous question: Can you think of any similar exam- ples in modern times in which inappropriately recruited or trained security officers were used to keep order or to enforce laws?
e WhydoyousupposeAristophanesdidnotassignanyspeakingpartstothe Scythian policemen?
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210
e IfAristophaneswoulduseawordlikedemosiostodescribeoneofthepolice officers--a word that implies a lack of respect--what does that tell us about the Athenian attitude in general toward their Scythian police force?
e Canyouthinkofanycontemporarysituations,eitherintheUnitedStates or abroad, in which riots broke out, and the rioters intimidated and over- came law enforcement personnel in the same manner as did Lysistrata and her intrepid band of "four whole companies of fighting women"?
Further Information
Dover, Kenneth J. Aristophanic Comedy. London, 1972.
Ehrenberg, Victor. The People of Aristophanes. Oxford, 1951. Whitman, C. H. Aristophanes and the Comic Hero. Cambridge, 1964.
Websites
Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Plot summary. http://www. cummingsstudyguides. net/ Lysistrata. htm
Lysistrata: An Introduction to the Play by Aristophanes. http://theatredatabase. com/ancient/ aristophanes_005. html
Bibliography for Document
Rogers, Benjamin Bickley (tr. ). Aristophanes. The Lysistrata; The Thesmophoriazusae; The Ecclesiazusae. The Plutus. Volume III. [LCL. ] Cambridge and London, 1924.
de Selincourt, Aubrey (tr. ). Herodotus: The Histories. Baltimore, 1954.
Sommerstein, Alan H. (tr. ). Aristophanes: Lysistrata and Other Plays. New York, 1973.
40. A TRIBUNE SPEAKS, A RIOT ENSUES
INTRODUCTION
When we think of dangers arising from street fights, muggings, and assaults, our initial image of the perpetrators is probably one of desperate or violent criminals. And most ancient Romans probably thought along the same lines. So it must have come as a great shock when the riot that erupted in 133 BCE, and resulted in the loss of some 300 lives, was fomented not by the criminal element but by some of the most highly respected members of the Roman Senate.
KEEP IN MIND AS YOU READ
1. The office of tribune was established in the fifth century BCE as an annual magis- tracy. Tribunes--10 each year--were charged with protecting the interests of the plebeians (Romans who were not of noble birth, and generally not the wealthiest citizens), especially in the legislative assemblies. Tribunes had the unusual power of virtually shutting down the Roman government by interposing their veto of any proposed legislative action that they deemed harmful to plebeian interests; one tribunician veto was sufficient to accomplish this. In actual practice, the trib- unes seldom exercised this extraordinary power, although Gracchus himself had been the victim of such a move during his tribunate when a fellow tribune, Marcus Octavius, vetoed the land reform measure that Gracchus had proposed.
2. Tiberius Gracchus successfully ran for the office of tribune in the fall of 134 BCE, with his tenure for one year, beginning in 133 BCE. The trouble described below was sparked when Gracchus announced that he intended to run for reelection. By custom, Roman officeholders were not permitted to do this; "one (year) and done" was the rule. Hard-line conservatives like Nasica were outraged, and perhaps a little frightened, by Gracchus's attempt to breach tradition.
3. Gracchus's signature political issue was land reform. Rome, and Italy generally, was suffering from the twin problems of homelessness and hunger, and Gracchus was determined to try to effect a solution. Many of the homeless people, especially in the rural areas, had lost their ancestral land holdings due to the devious and often illegal machinations of rich land speculators in Rome. Gracchus announced during his campaign for the tribunate that, if elected, he would introduce legislation
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designed to bring about a more equitable division of farm land. Naturally, the weal- thy occupiers of the lands opposed this effort, with the result that Gracchus's year as a tribune was marked by intense controversy. Ultimately, however, he succeeded in passing his land reform measure. His opponents probably felt that they could endure one year of Gracchus, secure in the knowledge that he could not run for re-election. So his proclamation that he would indeed run for another one-year term as tribune increased the already considerable animosity toward him, and probably led directly to his assassination.
Document: The Downfall of Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius passed on this news [of a possible assassination attempt] to his supporters who were standing round him, and they at once girded up their togas. Then they broke up the staves which the officers use to keep back the crowd, distributed these, and prepared to defend them- selves against the attackers. Those who were standing far- ther away were at a loss to know what was happening and asked what it meant. Thereupon, Tiberius raised his hand to his head intending, since the people could not hear his voice, to signify that his life was in danger. But when his enemies saw this gesture, they rushed to the Senate and reported that Tiberius was asking for a crown, and that they had the proof of this in the signal he had just given. This created an uproar in the Senate, and Nasica demanded that the consul must now act to protect the state and put down the tyrant. The consul answered in conciliatory fashion that he would not be the first to use violence, and would put no citizen to death without a regular trial. On the other hand, he declared that, if Tiberius should incite or oblige the people to pass any illegal resolution, he would not consider it to be binding. At this, Nasica sprang to his feet and shouted, "Now that the consul has betrayed the state, let every man who wishes to uphold the laws follow me! " Then he drew the skirt of his toga over his head [in preparation for the stave-wielding violence he apparently anticipated] and strode out towards the Capitol. The Senators who followed him wrapped their togas over their left arms [leaving their right arms free for staves] and thrust aside anyone who stood in their path. Nobody dared to oppose them out of respect for their rank, but those whom they met took to their heels and trampled down one another as they fled.
The senators' followers were armed with clubs and staves, which they had brought from their houses. The sen- ators themselves snatched up the legs and fragments of the
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? asking for a crown: The Romans hated the idea of being ruled by a king, and any credible politician who was believed--rightly or wrongly--to be aiming at royal power for himself would encounter fierce and intense opposition.
consul: Publius Mucius Scaevola is meant. He was a political ally and adviser of Gracchus, so it is hardly surprising that he refused Nasica's demand that he "act. . . to put down the tyrant. "
girded up their togas: The equivalent of our colloquialism "rolling up one's sleeves. " The loosely hanging toga had to be rolled up in order to free the wearer's arms for using the spear shafts effectively.
Nasica: Full name: Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio, and a cousin of Tiberius Gracchus. But he was no friend of Gracchus; he staunchly opposed his cousin politically and would not tolerate his efforts to run for reelection to the tribunate.
the officers use to keep back the crowd: The Greek reads aneirgousi ton ochlon, "they keep back the crowd," but without a noun to indicate the identity of "they. " Apparently, "they" were some sort of security detail, perhaps analo- gous to lictors (see sidebar, below).
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benches which the crowd had broken in their hurry to
escape, and made straight for Tiberius, lashing out at those
who were drawn up in front of him. His protectors were
quickly scattered or clubbed down, and as Tiberius turned
to run, someone caught hold of his clothing. He threw off
his toga and fled in his tunic, but then stumbled over some
of the prostrate bodies in front of him. As he struggled to
his feet, one of his fellow tribunes, Publius Satyreius . . .
dealt the first blow, striking him on the head with the leg of a bench. Lucius Rufus claimed to have given him the second, and prided himself upon this as if it were some noble exploit. More than three hundred men were killed by blows from sticks and stones, but none by the sword . . .
This is said to have been the first outbreak of civil strife in Rome which ended in bloodshed and death of citizens, since the expulsion of the kings [which occurred around 509 BCE, with the overthrow of Tarquinius Superbus]. All the other disputes, although they were neither trivial in them- selves nor concerned with trivial objects, were resolved by some form of com- promise . . . But the conspiracy which was formed against [Gracchus] seems to have had its origin in the hatred and malevolence of the rich rather than in the excuses which they put forward for their action. [Tr. Ian Scott-Kilvert. Plutarch: The Makers of Rome, Nine Lives. (Tiberius Gracchus 19, 20. ) Penguin Classics, 1975. Page numbers: 171, 172. ]
AFTERMATH
The assassination of Tiberius Gracchus ushered in a new era in Roman history, in which many of the traditional institutions and customs of the Republic began to be ignored. The violation of tribunician sacrosanctitas, in particular, set a dangerous precedent, and this extreme disrespect to tribunes was destined to be repeated in the case of Gaius Gracchus and other tribunes. Some modern historians see 133 BCE as a kind of watershed year in Roman history, when the decline of the Roman Republic first started to gather momentum.
A Tribune Speaks, a Riot Ensues
? their rank: The Roman Senate was comprised of the most experienced and distinguished citizens, so they automatically commanded respect.
? ? ? ? ? ? THE ROMAN VERSION OF THE SECRET SERVICE
In order to protect the leading officeholders of the state, the Romans created a cadre of official bodyguards called lictors. Whenever the chief magistrates--particularly consuls--appeared in public, the lictors preceded them and cleared a path for them. The lictors carried a bundle of rods bound together with leather straps and with axe- heads protruding from each end--the fasces (hence our word "fascist")--which symbolized the power of the magistrate to mete out punishments to lawbreakers: the rods for flogging and the axe-heads for execution. They could also use the fasces in a practical way, as a weapon, should the magistrate be threatened with attack. Each consul was assigned 12 lictors; lesser ranking officials had fewer lictors. Unfortunately for Tiberius Gracchus, tribunes did not qualify for this Roman version of Secret Service protection. Perhaps Gracchus would have survived the attack on his life had lictors been provided for him.
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? ? ? ? LIKE BROTHER, LIKE BROTHER
Tiberius Gracchus's brother Gaius, nine years his junior, held the office of tribune in 123 and again in 122. Gaius, like Tiberius, was a tribune on a mission: to correct what he saw as injustices and especially to be an advocate for the less fortunate citizens. Like Tiberius, Gaius ran for reelection to the tribunate, but unlike his brother, he succeeded. However, his effort to obtain a third term as tribune failed, and, like his brother, he was killed in a civil disturbance that followed.
? ? ? ASK YOURSELF
1. Why do you suppose Plutarch emphasizes that of the 300 casualties of the riot, all were killed "by blows from sticks and stones, but none by the sword"?
2. Plutarch writes that when Gracchus raised his hand to his head, his enemies inter- preted that gesture to signify that he "was asking for a crown.
