Aretaphila of Cyrene

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Aretaphila of Cyrene (Flourished circa 50 B.C., Cyrene, an ancient Greek colony in North Africa) was a Cyrenean noble woman who according to Plutarch in his work De mulierum virtutes (On the Virtues of Women), deposed the tyrant Nicocrates. ^{[1] [2]}

Aretaphilia was compelled to marry the tyrant Nicocrates after he had killed her husband, Phaedimus. She first tried to poison Nicocrates but was discovered and tortured. She then, arranged a marriage of her own daughter to the tyrant's brother, Leander. She was then able to convince Leander to murder Nicocrates. ^{[1] [2]}

She went on to manoeuvre Leander into a war with the native Libyans, which ended with his capture and execution. ^[1]

Seen as a heroic liberator, Aretaphila was invited to join the new government of her country, but she declined, and return to a domestic life. ^[1]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Brooklyn Museum Dinner party databse
2. ^ ^{a b} Images of Women in Antiquity. By Averil Cameron, Amélie Kuhrt

[edit] References

• Aretaphilia of Cyrene at the Brooklyn Museum Dinner party databse of notable women. Accessed February 2008
• De Mulierum Virtutibus by Plutarch as published in Vol. III of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1931. Accessed February 2008
• Images of Women in Antiquity By Averil Cameron, Amélie Kuhrt. Published 1993. Routledge ISBN 0415090954. At Google books. Accessed February 2008