BROWN, CHRISTOPHER G., The Prayers of the Corinthian Women (Simonides, "Ep." 15 Page, 
"FGE") , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:1 (1991:Spring) p.5 

The Prayers of the Corinthian Women 
(Simonides, Ep. 14 Page, FGE) 

Christopher C. Brown 

al8' intEP 'EAAUVWV 't£ Kat aYX£lluxWV 1tOAta'tav 
Ecr'tacrav £1>XOllEVat KU1tptOt ~AIMONIAI' 

01> yap 'to~0<p6potcrtV tpoUA£'tO o'i' 'A<ppooi'ta 
Mil8ot<; 'EAAUVWV aKp61tOAtV 8611£vat. 

This short poem seems to derive from a Corinthian inscription 
commemorating the invocation of Aphrodite's aid against the 
Persians in 480. 1 We are fortunate in having a number of 
sources for the poem, but our good fortune brings with it a 
number of problems concerning the constitution of the text 
and the historical context. 2 The various questions surrounding 
the epigram have recently been discussed in detail by D. L. 
Page and B. M. Palumbo Stracca. 3 In the present paper I 
propose to discuss only one issue, namely the word that 
concludes the second line, although consideration of some of 
the larger questions will prove relevant. 

What the Mss. transmit as ~AIMONIAI has regularly been 
construed as 8atllOV lC!, dative singular modifying KU1tpt8t. 4 

1 With one obvious exception, the text is cited from D. L. Page, Further 
Greek Epigrams (Cambridge 1981). As the authors who preserve the epigram 
(see next note) make clear, this text was composed to accompany some object, 
either a painting or statue (or statues), set up in the temple of Aphrodite at 
Corinth. 

2l: Pind. 01. 13.32b (I 364f Drachmann)=Theopompus FGrHist 115F285b; 
Pluto Mor. 871A-B; Ath. 573c=Theopompus FGrHist 115F285a, Timaeus 
FGrHist 566F10; Chamaeleon fr.31 Wehrli2• 

3 Page (supra n.1) 207-11; B. M. Palumbo Stracca, "Lettura critica di 
epigrammi (I)," Bollettino dei Classici 3.6 (1985) 58-65. See also PLG4 fr.137; 
M. Boas, De epigrammatis Simonideis (Groningen 1905) 47ff; U. von 
Wilamowitz- Moellendorff, "Commentariolum grammaticum IV," N A k G 
(1889) 3-7 (=Kleine Schriften [Berlin 1935-1972] IV 660-66). 

4 Adducing Pind. 01. 9.110, H. Novak, Zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des 
Begriffs DAI MON: eine Untersuchung epigraphischer Zeugnisse von 5. Jh. 
V. Chr. bis zum 5. Jh.n. Chr. (diss.Bonn 1960) 33ff, argues that the dative should 

5 



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6 PRAYERS OF THE CORINTHIAN WOMEN 

Contrary to the opinion of most editors, Page seems right in 
holding that the use of such an epithet for a deity is unlikely.5 In 
its basic sense, 8at~6vto<; denotes some connection with 
divinity (so LS] s. v.), and so it is difficult to see how even an 
extended usage is appropriate to a deity.6 In this light, Page has 
followed Bernardakis in emending to 8at~6vta, which he 
construes as the object of £ux6~£vat. 7 The phrase is understood 

be taken independently with an adverbial force (i. e., as though it could be 
synonymous with lCa'tu oaiJ.Lova vel sim. ); but this is most unlikely. It is very 
difficult to separate OatJ.Loviq. from K{mptot in any natural reading of the line. 

S Page (supra n.l) 211: " ... no deity is, or could be, described as O!ltJ.LOVtoc;." 
This is something of an overstatement: e.g. Helen calls Aphrodite OatJ.Lovill at 
II. 3.399, but there the usage is heavily sarcastic (cf G. S. Kirk, The Iliad: A 
Commentary I [Cambridge 1985] ad loc.); see also II. 1.561 and U. von 
Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Der Glaube der Hellenen 2 (Basel 1956) I 359. An 
anonymous referee for this journal has offered another possible explanation of 
the dative: the goddess might have been called o!ltJ.Lovia to distinguish 
Aphrodite oupavia from 1t(lV~J.LOC; (for the cult-titles, see Farnell Cults II 
558ff). If the women were the il:pOOO'UAot (see below), it is suggested that they 
would normally have served the lower aspect of the goddess (for Aphr. 
1t(lV~J.LOC; and prostitutes, cf Nicand. FGrHist 2711272 F9), but may well have 
turned their prayers to Aphrodite OU pa v ia in a time of crisis. This is an 
interesting proposal, but ultimately unconvincing. Pindar refers to the goddess 
in relation to the temple prostitutes at Corinth as J.La't£p' r.pcffr.(J)v/ oupaviav (fr. 
122.4 Maehler), and this indicates that the Corinthian iCPOOO'UAot were part of 
the worship of Aphrodite oupavia (the epithet, like temple prostitution, points 
to the goddess' eastern origin: see W. Burkert, Griechische Religion der 
archaischen und klassischen Epoche [Stuttgart 1977] 238 [=Greek Religion: 
Archaic and Classical, tr. J. Raffan (Cambridge, Mass. 1985) 152] and n.25 
infra). More important, it is difficult to see how the use of O!ltJ.LOVtoC; could help 
define the relevant aspect of the goddess; oa tJ.L(J)v and related words are used 
broadly of divinity. 

b For discussion of the adjective, see E. Brunius-Nilsson, JAIMONIE: an 
Inquiry into a Mode of Apostrophe in Old Greek Literature (Uppsala 1955) 
139ff. 

7 It should also be noted that Lobeck and Bergk emended to oaJ.Locrtq., 
which might recall Aphrodite ITuvOllJ.LOC;. One might also conjecture oaJ.Locrt!lt, 
describing the il:p600'UAot (see below), which would find an interesting parallel 
in Pind. fr.122.15 Maehler, ~'UVatC; y'Uv!lt~iv (0l1J.L0crtoC; may be used of 
prostitution as early as Sappho fr.209 Voigt, but is not found elsewhere in 
early literature; cf however OTlJ.LOC;, Archil. fr.207 West2). But Page dismissed 
oaJ.Locriq. as "a rough change," and it is very difficult to see how either of these 
conjectures could have been corrupted to the reading of the paradosis. 
Moreover, in view of the apparent tone of the passages in Sappho and Archil­
ochus, it seems probable that a form of 011J.L0crtoC; would carry a pejorative 
charge inappropriate to the context of the Simonidean epigram. In the past 



BROWN, CHRISTOPHER G., The Prayers of the Corinthian Women (Simonides, "Ep." 15 Page, 
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CHRISTOPHER G. BROWN 7 

as representing fUXOJlfVUl bUlJlOVLOV fUXftV. As Page concedes, 
this is an odd phrase. Its merit, according to Page, is that it 
reflects Plutarch's understanding of the epigram: d5~uv'tO 'tllv 
KUAllv KUl bUlJlOVLOV fuXftV. And yet does this in fact represent 
a close paraphrase? He is reproaching Herodotus for omitting 
this remarkable episode from his account of the Persian Wars: 
'tllv KUAllv KUl b<XlJlOVLOV underlines the extraordinary nature of 
the prayer with bUlJlOVLO<; used in its common later meaning 
('remarkable', 'marvellous'); it does not necessarily guarantee 
Bernardakis' emendation, which remains an unusual phrase. 

An obvious way of interpreting LlAIMONIAI is as nominative 
plural, bUlJlOVWl, modifying the Corinthian women who are the 
subject of £cr'tucruv (KU1tPlbl remains the indirect object of 
fUXOJlfVUl).8 This text has in fact been printed by L. Pearson in 
his Loeb edition of Plutarch, but the translation attributes 
doubtful sense to the word. 9 Page, who makes no mention of 
Pearson's text, dismisses the nominative summarily: "Nor 
could the epithet possibly apply to Corinthian females, whether 
matrons or courtesans." It seems likely, however, that the 
nominative has some ancient authority. Page reports b<XlJlOVWl 
as the Mss. reading of the three ancient sources. 10 Although 

century bolder proposals were made: ouillOVt ~ K. F. Hermann, Philologus 10 
(1855) 237; lCUOEIlOV t A. Hecker, Philologus 4 (1889) 484; lCulllloviuv H. 
Stadtmiiller, PhilWoch 10 (1890) 302 (for the concept, cf Erbse on L Jl. 
22.257a); Bergk also records a rather wild rewriting of the line by M. Schmidt, 
'ttV (Hu8EV E1lXEO"8m K{lTtpt AtAmOIlEvm. Although these proposals have 
rightly been ignored by commentators, they reflect the general disquiet 
concerning the dative singular commonly printed by editors. 

8 There are, of course, other examples of the ambiguity between the first 
declension nominative plural and dative singular. Perhaps the most striking 
instance in early poetry is Alcm. fr.3.61 Calame=1.61 Davies, where both 
'0p8piq and Of*lPllll have been defended: see D. L. Page, Aleman: the 
Partheneion (Oxford 1951) 76ff; C. Calame, Les choeurs de jeunes filles en 
Grece archaique (Rome 1977) II 120f; M. Puelma, M usHelv 34 (1977) 20 n.40. 
In this case the dative is the form currently favoured by editors. 

9 He renders the first two lines as follows: "Here stand [reading E{nu8Ev] 
those ladies who to Cypris prayed for Greece and for our stalwart fighting 
men. The gods were with them .... " This last phrase is clearly intended to 
represent ouq.1ovtm, but such a meaning is unparalleled for the adjective, 
especially in a text from the fifth century. 

10 In his earlier Oxford text, Epigrammata Graeca (1975), however, Page 
gives omllovift as the reading of the paradosis. It is difficult to know what to 
make of this discrepancy. It is possible that the later edition offers a tacit 
correction of the OCT, but it is equally possible that the nominative is a slip. 



BROWN, CHRISTOPHER G., The Prayers of the Corinthian Women (Simonides, "Ep." 15 Page, 
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8 PRAYERS OF THE CORINTHIAN WOMEN 

accentuation in manuscripts is hardly probative in every case, 
this is suggestive. Moreover, the variant d>x£cr8at for £uxo­
Jl£vat, which is transmitted by Athenaeus, seems intended to 
explain oaq..lovtat (i.e., as though the construction could be 
analogous to onval £,\Sx£cr8at: see Page ad loco ). If this is correct, 
it appears that Athenaeus or his source understood the final 
word of the line as an epithet modifying the Corinthian women. 
In this light, Page is probably correct in FGE to record 
oatl.lovtat as the reading of the paradosis. Was he right to 
dismiss it? 

In answering this question much depends on the identity of 
the women. The Pindaric scholiast treats them as though they 
were the wives of the Corinthian warriors (Ot Kopiv8tot .... Kal 
'tu<; 'YuvalKa<; au'to)V), and this seems to be the reference of 
Plutarch as well (at Kopiv8tat 'YuvalK£<;). Chamaeleon, 
however, informs us that these women are ha'ipat, and this 
appears to be more plausible, especially if we follow Wila­
mowitz in seeing these ha'ipat as the t£POOOUAOl who served 
Aphrodite's temple in Corinth.11 Chamaeleon treated the 
epigram in his work n£pl nlvoapou, and it is almost certainly in 
the course of his discussion of Pindar fr.122 Maehler, quoted by 

FG E was a posthumous publication and, as such, contains a large number of 
errors, which the author undoubtedly would have corrected: see H. Lloyd­
Jones, CR 32 (1982) 139-44 (=Academic Papers: Greek Comedy, etc. (Oxford 
1990J 223-30); D. M. Lewis,jHS 104 (1984) 179f; O. Masson, RPhil58 (1984) 
97f. 

It Wilamowitz (supra n.3) 4ff=662ff. This raises the difficult issue of sacred 
prostitution, which has been studied with reference to earlier literature by B. 
C. MacLachlan, "Sacred Prostitution and Aphrodite," Studies in Religion/ 
Sciences religieuses (1992, forthcoming), and "Sacred Prostitution in Medi­
terranean Antiquity," in E. Lacelle, ed., Femmes, Religions et Prostitution 
(= Collection Femmes et Religion III [Montreal, forthcoming]). Cf also the 
discussion in H. Herter, "Die Soziologie der antiken Prostitution im Lichte 
des heidnischen und christlichen Schrifttums," jA C 3 (1960) 70-111 at 72f; L. 
Woodbury, "The Gratitude of the Locrian Maiden: Pindar, Pyth. 2.18ff," 
TAPA 108 (1978) 285-99 at 292 n.18 (=Collected Writings [Atlanta 1991J 
271-85 at 277 n.18); C. Calame, "Entre rapports de parente et relations 
civiques: Aphrodite I'hetal're au banquet politique des hetaIroi," Aux sources 
de la puissance: sociabilite et parente (Rouen 1989) 101-11 at 10M. On the 
fame of Corinthian prostitutes in general see R. Kassel and C. Austin, Poetae 
Comici Graeci 111.2 (Berlin 1984) ad Ar. fr. 928; Herter 71 n.8. Wilamowitz's 
identification of the women is supported by C. Turano, "La prostituzione 
sacra a Locri Epizefiri," ArchCl4 (1952) 248-52 at 248, and L. Pearson in his 
Loeb edition of Plut. Malign. Her. (Moralia XI) at 11 of n. b. 



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CHRISTOPHER G. BROWN 9 

Athenaeus (573 F) shortly after our passage, that the Simonidean 
epigram was adduced (Wehrli in fact prints the whole passage as 
fr.31 in his edition of Chamaeleon). Of our sources Cha­
maeleon alone is interested in the identity of the women, since 
he is discussing Xenophon's extraordinary dedication of a large 
number of girls, which Pindar celebrates in fr.122; the other 
sources appear interested in the event, not the identity of the 
worshippers. It is, however, suggestive to note that Theopom­
pus, one of our sources for the epigram, is quoted by a scholiast 
on ot. 13 (cf n.2), the epinician composed in honor of the 
victory that prompted Xenophon's dedication. 

If the women are indeed the tE POOOUAOt, I suggest that 
OUtllOVtat is the correct text and here refers to the women's 
status as servants of the goddess, that is to say that OUt/10VtUt 
means something like 'the goddess' women', referring to the 
important fact that they have been dedicated to Aphrodite. 12 
OUtIlOVtO<; is thus used in a way that is similar to the usage of 
tEpO<;.13 Pindar's use of the word provides some helpful paral­
lels. Most striking is the opening of the Second Pythian: 

IlQuA01tOAt£<; (b LupalCoO'Ut, ~aeU1tOAEIlOU 
'tEIlEVO<; "Apco<;, avop&v tnnoov 'tE O'tOUpoxap­

llaV OatllOVtat 'tpocpoi.. .. 

The poet invokes Syracuse in hymnic style,14 and, as often, the 
portrait of the city stands on the threshold of personification, 
especially with the striking use of 'tpocpoL The city is envisaged 
as one great 'tEIlEVO<; of the war-god, fostering the martial might 
of the Syracusans. OalllOVtat describes 'tpocpoi because the 
'tEIlEVO<; belongs to the god (cf the passages in n.t3). In the Sixth 
Olympian (8ff) Pindar says of the victor in his present success: 

to'too yap EV tOUtqJ n£oi-
AqJ OUtIlOVtov noo' EXOOV 

LooO'tpa'tou UtOc;. 

12 Cf Pind. fr.l22.l7-20: ib K{mpou O£<J1tOlVa, tfOV OfUt' E~ aM:m~ <pOp~OffiV 
1(opav o:yfA.av Ex:atoyyuwv 3fVOq>WV tfA£me; btayay' £UXffiAate; iavede;. 

13 Pind. Paean l8.1f: EV ... tfPip tql.£Vfl (cf Paean 6.120: tq.L£Vfl q>tAcp). 
14 S. L. Radt, Pindars zweiter und sechster Paian (Amsterdam 1958) 103, 

notes that Pindar is the earliest extant poet to treat cities in this way. 



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10 PRAYERS OF THE CORINTHIAN WOMEN 

8aq.lovtoV is regularly seen here as possessing a quasi-adverbial 
force (e.g. by Slater, Lexicon to Pindar s.v., "by divine grace"), 
suggesting divine support of Hegesias' victory; but it is note­
worthy that the victor seems to be a priest (cf line 5, ~roJl0 'tE 
llav'tElq> 'taJllae; ~lOe; EV rrlO'q., with the scholia ad loc. [7c: I 156 
DrachmannJ); and, consequently, the adjective may refer to his 
status as a servant of Zeus. 1S Another useful passage is O/. 8.25ff: 

'tESlloe; 8E ne; &Sava'trov Kat 
'tav8' aALEpKEa xwpav 

1tav't08a1tOlO'tV 'i)1t£O''taO'E s£VOte; 
Klova 8atllOVlav. 

A 'tESlloC; of the gods established Aegina as a pillar for strangers 
of all kinds, and so the island is described as Kirov 8atJlovia with 
the adjective underlining its ties with the gods.16 Similarly, that 
the acropolis of Athens is sacred ground allows Pindar to call it 
8atllOVtoV 1t'toAiESpOV (fr. 76.2; cf Od. 11.323, EC; Yo'Uvov 
'ASTlvarov tEparov). In these passages 8alIlOVtoC;, like the more 
common use of words such as tE p 0C;, seems to attest to a 
connection with divinity; and this appears to be the essential 
force of the adjective in the fifth centuryY 

If we are correct in understanding the Corinthian women as 
tEp080'UAOl, it may well be appropriate to ask why they are 
described as 8atJlovwt in relation to the goddess and not tEpai 
or some other such term. It is possible that the word was 
chosen because it stands farther removed from Greek notions 
of purity and the sacred than tEpOe;. Human sexuality was 
believed to be polluting; it is likely that sex with a prostitute was 
regarded as more so, perhaps especially when associated with 
the 'tEJlEVOe; of a deity. 18 The poet may have wished to avoid 
striking a potentially discordant note by appearing to align 

15 In this passage 1tOU~ is probably synecdoche for the victor, however the 
imagery of 8f is understood. For further examples see R. Kuhner and B. 
Gerth, Ausfiihrliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache (Hannover/Leipzig 
1898) 1280. 

16 The scholiasts gloss Oatlloviuv with BElOV : cf r Pind. Of. 8.33c-d (I 244 
Drachmann). 

17 See Brunius-Nilsson (supra n.6) 139ff; cf Braswell's note on Pind. Pyth. 
4.37(e). 

18 See R. Parker, Miasma (Oxford 1983) 74f with n.4 on Sokolowski, LSA M 
29.7 and LSeC 91.18. 



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CHRISTOPHER G. BROWN 11 

sacred prostitutes too closely with what is generally designated 
as 'tel tEpa. In his poem for Xenophon (fr.122) Pindar's dis­
comfort is plain, and it is correspondingly difficult to establish 
the tone of the passage.19 However much sacred prostitution 
was found in cities like Corinth, it is probable that it made many 
Greeks uneasy: Herodotus calls the Babylonian practice VO"l.O<;; 
UtcrXt<J'to<;; (1.199.1). 

It is also possible that 8utfJ.ovtat was a regular title at Corinth, 
and this may in fact be more likely. Such a view, however, 
cannot be proved without firmer evidence, but a passage from 
the end of Hesiod's Theogony is suggestive in this regard. Here 
the poet describes Phaethon, the son born to Cephalus by Eos 
(986-91): 

uu'tap 'tOt KEcpaA<p cpl'tucrUtO cpui8tfJ.oV UlOV, 
tcp8tfJ.oV <DuE8ov'tu, 8£Ot<;; bnElKEAOV av8pu' 
'tov pu VEOV 'tEPEV Civ8o<;; £xov't' EptKU8Eo<;; +\PTl<;; 
1tut8' a'tuAel CPPOVEOV'tU cptAol-.qlEt8i)<;; 'Acppo8i'tTl 
dlp't' aVEpEt'l'ul-lEVTl, Kui fJ.tV ~u8£ot<;; EVt vTlot<;; 
VTl01tOAOV fJ.UXlOV 1tOtl1cru'tO, 8uil-lovu 8tov. 

Although not the usual version of the story of Phaethon, this is 
a myth of a familiar sort: the handsome youth arouses the 
interest of the goddess, who carries him Off.2D What is of 
interest for the present discussion is Phaethon's fate. West (a d 
991) argues that implicit in this passage is Phaethon's condition 
as +\pw<;;, suggesting that we have a reminiscence of the practice 
of burying the priest-king in the temple of his god. This view is 
certainly possible, and there are instances of the word 8uil-lwV 
used of the powerful dead;21 but Hesiod says nothing of 
Phaethon's death, and, as Wilamowitz saw, this passage indicates 
that the 1tapE8pot of the gods can be termed 8uifJ.oVE<;;.22 In the 

19 See B. A. van Groningen, Pindare au banquet (Amsterdam 1960) 46ff; H. 
Schmitz, Hypsos und Bios (Bern 1970) 30ff. 

20 For the myth see West ad Hes. Th. 991; ]. Diggle, Euripides: Phaethon 
(Cambridge 1970) 10-15. This version is attested elsewhere only at Paus. 1.3.1 
(conveniently quoted by Diggle 11). 

21 Of the passages cited by West, Hes. Erga 122 and Aesch. Pers. 620 are the 
best examples. The description of Alcestis as f1<hmpa Daif10lv in Euripides' 
play (1003) may be germane as well. 

22 Wilamowitz (supra n.5) I 360: "Das [i.e. Th. 991] setzt voraus, dag 
1to.pdipOl groger Gotter als Damonen bezeichnet werden." 



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12 PRAYERS OF THE CORINTHIAN WOMEN 

Hesiodic passage bai,lOva btov stands in apposition to 
VTlOn:OAOV JlUXlOV, and this suggests that the term balJl{J)v re­
flects Phaethon's position as an intimate subordinate of the 
goddess. 23 That this usage of baiJl{J)v carries some special 
significance may be suggested by the occurrence of the 
apparent formula baiJlova btov only here in Greek literature; it 
cannot be viewed as an empty formula (though it is clearly 
modelled on phrases like "EKwpa btov). This view finds some 
support in a passage from the Theognidea (2.1345-48): 

n:alOOqllAEtv bE 'tl 'tEPn:vOV, £n:El n:O'tE Kat ravuJlT,bou<; 
llpa'to Kat KpovibTl<; ci9ava't{J)v pa<JLAE1)<;, 

apn:asa<; b' £<; "OAUJln:OV civT,yaYE Kat JllV i'9TlKEV 
batJlova, n:atbElTJ<; liv90<; i'xov't' £pa'tov. 

As in the case of Phaethon, there is an erotic coloring to the 
myth.24 The god abducts the youth and give him a privileged 
position as his subordinate; this status is reflected in the use of 
baiJl{J)v. 

At some level these myths describe the relationship that 
obtains between a god and a mortal who in some sense belongs 
to that deity. It is probable that figures like Phaethon served as 
paradigms of the role of the priest in relation to his god in 

23 Pindar's description of Cinyras as irpEu lC'tlAoV 'AQ)po()i'ta~ (Pyth. 2.17) 
probably has similar implications: see H. Lloyd-Jones, J HS 93 (1973) 119 n.59 
(=Academic Papers: Epic, etc. [Oxford 1990] 126 n.59); Woodbury (supra n.ll) 
285 n.3 (=Collected Writings 271 n.3); E. Dettori, MusCrit 23/24 (1988/89) 
95-98. 

24 The degree to which the erotic element is central to this myth remains 
controversial. K. J. Dover, Greek Homosexuality (Cambridge [Mass.] 1978) 
196ff, argues that it reflects a secondary re-interpretation; but, pointing to 
passages like Ephorus FGrHist 70F149, it is possible to argue that Greek 
homosexuality is a reflection of initiatory ritual, which may have its roots in 
Indo-European society: see J. Bremmer, A rethusa 13 (1980) 279-98; P. A. 
Cartledge, PCPS 207 (1981) 17-36; H. Patzer, Die griechische Knabenliebe 
(Wiesbaden 1982) esp. 99ff; B. Sergent, L 'Homosexualite dans fa mythologie 
grecque (Paris 1984) 237ff. In this light myths like that of the abduction of 
Ganymede would have some basis in social practice. Dover, however, has 
pointed out the weaknesses of this position in "Greek Homosexuality and 
Initiation," The Greeks and their Legacy (Oxford 1988) 115-34; cf T. 
Figueira, AJP 107 (1986) 426-32. 



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CHRISTOPHER G. BROWN 13 

certain cults;25 but it is unlikely that the term oai,.Hov would be 
applied to ordinary priests. They would probably stand at one 
remove from the model presented by myth; and so OalJIOVlO~, 
the adjective derived from oaiJlffiv, would be a suitable term. 
This sort of view well suits the Simoni dean epigram. The 
tEpo80UAOt, like Phaethon in the Theogony, serve the temple of 
Aphrodite; they belong to the goddess and so they are 8at­
JlOVlat. 

The nominative is also supported by structural considerations. 
The arrangement of EUXOJlEVat ... 8atJlovtat gives us a common 
form of pentameter, in which words in agreement end each of 
the hemiepe that constitute the line. 26 Moreover, 8alJlOvtat 
gives special point to the telling final posi tion of the verse 
(neither 8atJlovi<t nor 8atJlOVta seems to contribute anything of 
significance).27 The vague aY8E in the first line is balanced by 
8atJlovtat that defines the demonstrative. 28 As it stands in 
current editions, the epigram is unusual in offering no iden­
tifications of the women. On the usual view, we must assume 
that the reference of aY8E was inferred from the painting or 
statue(s) upon which the poem was inscribed. But by reading 
8atJlOVlat in the way proposed here the women are in fact 

25 It is clear that the sort of priesthoods that concern us are not typical of 
most Greek cults, in which the i£p£u<; has a more casual association with his 
god: see Burkert (supra n.5) 95-98, who says that" In Griechenland ist das 
Priestertum nicht Lebensform, sondern Neben- und Ehrenamt" (97). Those 
cults in which priests (and other followers) are bound closely to the deity tend 
to be those cults that reflect oriental elements (Burkert 97). Sacred prostitution 
was an infamous feature of the worship of Ishtarl Astarte, the eastern 
prototype of Aphrodite: see Burkert 153 and Die orientalisierende Epoche in 
der griechischen Religion und Literatur (Heidelberg 1984) 92-95; cf A. D. 
Nock, HThR 45 (1952) 244 (=Essays on Religion and the Ancient World 
[Oxford 1972] II 783f). 

26 This is a common pattern (occurring as early as Archil. fr.4.7 West2) and 
requires little illustration; I simply cite some examples from the Simonidean 
eipgrams: 18.2; 48.2; 59.2, 8; 66.8,10; 68.6; 71.2; 72.2 FGE. For the combination 
of an adjective and a participle, cf (e.g.) Anyte 8.4 (695) Gow and Page: 
1to'tHj>9qlCtD. ... q>9l~£VU. 

27 Cf Demetr. Eloc. 39.4-7 (Roberts): 1tuv't£<; youv 1.8\00<; 'twv 't£ 1tpo)'toov 
~vT1~OV£UO~cv KUl. 'twv u(nu'toov, KUl. U1tO 'tou'toov KlVOU~£9u, U1tO OE 'twv 
~£'tu~u D..anov w<J1t£p £yKP'l.l1t'tof.L£voov 1\ £vuq)UVlS0f.L£Voov. 

28 Cf Sill. Ep. 65.lf FGE, in which 010£, the first word, comes sharply into 
focus with ~uX£(J<JU~£VOl at the end of the pentameter. 



BROWN, CHRISTOPHER G., The Prayers of the Corinthian Women (Simonides, "Ep." 15 Page, 
"FGE") , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:1 (1991:Spring) p.5 

14 PRAYERS OF THE CORINTHIAN WOMEN 

identified, possibly by a special term for the lEp68oUAOl at 
Corinth.29 

UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO 

July, 1991 

29 For comment and advice in the writing of this paper I am grateful to 
Professors R. L. Fowler, D. E. Gerber, B. C. MacLachlan, and E. Robbins.