Bilistiche ( Greek: Βιλιστίχη; [1] born c. 280 BC) or Belistiche was a Hellenistic courtesan of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and winner of the 264 BC Olympic Games in tethrippon and synoris.
It is generally accepted that the name Bilistiche is a Macedonian dialectal form of a Greek name. [2] The first element presumably relates to φιλ-, ‘love’; (the phi turns into beta in the Macedonian dialect, cf. Pherenice -> Berenice). The most probable full etymological account of her name accordingly construes it as the superlative stem φιλιστ- followed by the productive suffix -ίχα, found in a number of other female names, particularly in Boeotia (Doricha, Deinicha, Hippicha, etc.). [2]
According to Pausanias, Bilistiche was a woman from the coast of Macedonia; [3] according to Athenaeus, she was an Argive (said to descend from the line of Atreus); [4] according to Plutarch, a foreign slave bought from the marketplace. [5] If one were to accept Plutarch's information, one might suppose that, as a (former) slave of such origin she was given Macedonian citizenship for her services, although this is considered unlikely. [2]
Olivier Masson dismissed Plutarch's information as fiction concluding that Plutarch had drawn her from the existing entourage of the Macedonian nobility, [6] as does Daniel Ogden, who notes that Plutarch's information probably originated from Sotades' work On Bilistiche whose contents are unknown, but may have been a polemic against her. [2]
Bilistiche was born around 280 BC. Her father was named Philon (cf. Athenian architect Philon) and was presumably an admiral of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. [2] She won the tethrippon and synoris horse races in the 264 BC Olympic Games, [3] and subsequently she became a mistress of Ptolemy II. They had a son together named Ptolemy Andromachou. [7]
Her date of death is unknown. After her death, it is known that Ptolemy II deified her as Aphrodite Bilistiche. [8] Fragmentary papyri from Ankyronpolis dated to 239/8 BC indicate that later in life she was a money lender. [9] According to Clement of Alexandria, she was buried under the shrine of Sarapis in Alexandria. [10]
Bilistiche ( Greek: Βιλιστίχη; [1] born c. 280 BC) or Belistiche was a Hellenistic courtesan of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and winner of the 264 BC Olympic Games in tethrippon and synoris.
It is generally accepted that the name Bilistiche is a Macedonian dialectal form of a Greek name. [2] The first element presumably relates to φιλ-, ‘love’; (the phi turns into beta in the Macedonian dialect, cf. Pherenice -> Berenice). The most probable full etymological account of her name accordingly construes it as the superlative stem φιλιστ- followed by the productive suffix -ίχα, found in a number of other female names, particularly in Boeotia (Doricha, Deinicha, Hippicha, etc.). [2]
According to Pausanias, Bilistiche was a woman from the coast of Macedonia; [3] according to Athenaeus, she was an Argive (said to descend from the line of Atreus); [4] according to Plutarch, a foreign slave bought from the marketplace. [5] If one were to accept Plutarch's information, one might suppose that, as a (former) slave of such origin she was given Macedonian citizenship for her services, although this is considered unlikely. [2]
Olivier Masson dismissed Plutarch's information as fiction concluding that Plutarch had drawn her from the existing entourage of the Macedonian nobility, [6] as does Daniel Ogden, who notes that Plutarch's information probably originated from Sotades' work On Bilistiche whose contents are unknown, but may have been a polemic against her. [2]
Bilistiche was born around 280 BC. Her father was named Philon (cf. Athenian architect Philon) and was presumably an admiral of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. [2] She won the tethrippon and synoris horse races in the 264 BC Olympic Games, [3] and subsequently she became a mistress of Ptolemy II. They had a son together named Ptolemy Andromachou. [7]
Her date of death is unknown. After her death, it is known that Ptolemy II deified her as Aphrodite Bilistiche. [8] Fragmentary papyri from Ankyronpolis dated to 239/8 BC indicate that later in life she was a money lender. [9] According to Clement of Alexandria, she was buried under the shrine of Sarapis in Alexandria. [10]