Lamia1, daughter of the Athenian Cleanor2, flautist and hetera3, probably born c. 3404, mistress of Demetrius of Phaleron5 probably before c. 3086, then possibly a mistress of Ptolemy I7, relationship terminated by her capture at the battle of Salamis by Demetrius Poliorcetes in 3068, whose mistress she then became9 and to whom she bore a daughter, Phila10. Her date of death is unknown11.
[1] PP VI 14727. Gr: Lamia. Both D. Ogden, Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death, 249 and P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 at 31 and n. 8, note that the name is known in Boeotia and western Greece, possibly indicating a connection to the Malian city of Lamia, but think it more likely that she chose the name as a professional moniker or nickname. A lamia was a boodsucking maneater, so the name might attract patrons seeking excitement with a hint of danger. Ogden and Wheatley note that Athenaeus 13.577c, one of our main sources for Lamia, also records a story about a prostitute of the same name in the time of Themistocles. Ý
[2] Athenaeus 13.577c. Diogenes Laertius 5.76 tells us she was a citizen of noble family. Nothing else is certainly known about Cleanor. P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 n. 6 notes that the name is rare at Athens, and suggests that a certain Cleandrus son of Cleanor of the tribe of Hippothontis (Agora XV.62 line 240) in the late 300s was Lamia's brother. Ý
[3] Plutarch, Demetrius 16.3. Ý
[4] Plutarch, Demetrius 16.4 and Demetrius 27.4, notes that she was "much older" than Demetrius. D. Ogden, Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death, 240f., doubts the story, supposing it was a misunderstood joke. But, as Plutarch emphasises, and seems undeniable, Demetrius had a preference for mature women, so there seems nothing implausible in the story to me. On the other hand, she was also young enough to bear him a child in the late 300s. Demetrius died at age 54 (Plutarch, Demetrius 52.3) in 283, hence was born in c. 337. A birthdate for Lamia of c. 340 or a little earlier seems to be required. Ý
[5] Diogenes Laertius 5.76. P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 at 31, doubts the story, suggesting that Demetrius of Phaleron is here confused with Demetrius Poliorcetes, but it hardly seems improbable to me. A philosopher is just as likely as a king to have a weakness for wanton women. Demetrius of Phaleron is also associated with the Samian courtesan Lampito (Athenaeus 13.593e). Ý
[6] Athenaeus 13.577c notes that she had built a painted stoa at Sicyon, which was a Ptolemaic base in Ptolemy I's campiagn of 309/8. P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 at 31, suggests that this was the point at which she joined the Ptolemaic court. The suggestion seems plausible, though hardly certain. D. Ogden, Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death, 238, suggests she built the stoa in 303 as a contribution towards Demetrius Poliorcetes' refounding of the city as a Demetrias (Plutarch, Demetrius 25.2). But in any case Ptolemy's departure for Egypt at this time represents a likely terminus ante quem for her arrival at the Ptolemaic court. Ý
[7] D. Ogden, Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death, 241f., infers the liaison from the circumstances of her capture (Plutarch, Demetrius 16.3): he presumes her to have been the mistress of the commander of the Ptolemaic fleet, who was Ptolemy I in person. In my view, it's a reasonable conjecture, but overstated. As P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 at 31 correctly notes, she could as well have been the mistress of one of his immediate subordinates, since all his Friends were also captured. Ý
[8] Plutarch, Demetrius 16.3. Ý
[9] Plutarch, Demetrius 16.4. Ý
[10] Athenaeus 13.577c. Her name is the name of Demetrius' chief wife. Nothing else is known about her. She is omitted from Plutarch's list of Demetrius' children (Plutarch, Demetrius 53.8), which includes an illegitimate son. P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 at 35 n. 34 suggests she had predeceased her father. Ý
[11] P. V. Wheatley, in O. Palagia & S. V. Tracy (eds) The Macedonians in Athens 30 at 34 holds that she is not known after the date of Demetrius' visit to Athens, c. 303/2. Wheatley speculates that she died in childbirth about this time, and that her daughter's name was intended to disarm any animosity from Demetrius' queen Phila, into whose care she was placed.
One indication that she died some time later, overlooked by Wheatley, is given by Athenaeus 14.614e-f and Plutarch, Demetrius 25.6, in which Demetrius compares Lamia's restraint to the extravagance of Lysimachus' "Penelope" -- i.e. his true and faithful wife. D. Ogden, Polygamy, Prostitutes and Death, 236, assumes that the story refers to Arsinoe II. This is probably, though not necessarily, correct. Lysimachus had two other principal wives, Nicaea and Amestris. However, Nicaea otherwise disappears without trace from the record after their marriage: one would expect there to be some other trace of her if she had a reputation for extravagance. Memnon 4.9 and 5.3 presents Amestris as a mature woman of strong will and reputable character, while Memnon 5.4 shows Arsinoe as an acquisitive gold-digger. In any case the marriage to Amestris was brief: if she was "Penelope" then Lamia lived in c. 301. Still, even allowing for source bias, Arsinoe's reputation for manipulating Lysimachus in his dotage suggests that she was the "Penelope" of Athenaeus' story. If so, the incident dates after 300 and proves that Lamia lived into the third century Ý
Update Notes:
8-9 Feb 2002: Added individual trees
17 Feb 2002: Split out into separate entry
4 Jan 2003: Noted that she was of Athenian noble origin
23 August 2003: Corrected typos, added Xref to Ptolemy I
24 Feb 2004: Added Xref to online Athenaeus
11 Mar 2005: Added Greek transcription
8 Dec 2007: Fleshed out her bio, noted Wheatley comments
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