SexViolHist Bib: Representations: Speeches: Apollodorus of Acharnae

»Apollodorus (Ancient Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος, romanized: Apollodōros; 394 – after 343 BCE) of Acharnae in Attica was an Athenian politician known from several ancient forensic speeches which were preserved as part of the Demosthenic corpus.« (Extract from: Wikipedia)

Against Neaera

I n f o r m a t i o n

»"Against Neaera" was a prosecution speech delivered by Apollodoros of Acharnae against the freedwoman Neaera. It was preserved as part of the Demosthenic corpus, though it is widely considered to be pseudo-Demosthenic, possibly written by Apollodoros himself. The speech was part of the prosecution of Neaera, a hetaera who was accused of unlawfully marrying an Athenian citizen. Though the speech claims that the case was brought for personal reasons, the date of the prosecution has led scholars to believe that it was in fact politically motivated. In common with most legal cases from ancient Athens, the outcome is unknown.
The speech is important to modern scholars as the best extant biography of a woman from the classical period of ancient Greece, the most extensive surviving source on prostitution in ancient Greece, and the source of Athenian laws on adultery and citizenship which do not otherwise survive. However, it only began to receive significant attention from scholars in the 1990s, as before that period the focus of the speech on prostitution was considered to be inappropriate.« (Extract from: Wikipedia)

K e y w o r d s

I. Chronological Index: Ancient History: Greek History

II. Geographical Index: European History: Greek History

III. Topical Index: Types: States of Emergency: Wartime Sexual Violence

B i b l i o g r a p h y

I. Author Index

[Info] Breitenfeld, Sarah B. »One of the Olynthians: Dem. 19.196–98 and Violence against Enslaved Female War Captives.« Brill’s Companion to War Violence in the Ancient Mediterranean. Edited by Lennart Gilhaus. Leiden 2026: 389-419.

II. Speaker Index