Claudius Aelianus, De Natura Animalium 5.17: ban of women from the Olympic Games

Claudius Aelianus, De Natura Animalium 5.17: ban of women from the Olympic Games

2nd/3rd century CE

Natural history

Literary source

Let not the fly lack the honour of a mention in this record of mine, for it too is Nature's handiwork.The flies of Pisa at the season of the Olympic festival make peace, so to speak, both with visitors and with the local inhabitants. At any rate, despite the multitude of sacrifices, the quantity of blood shed and of flesh hung out, the flies disappear of their own free will and cross to the opposite bank of the Alpheius. And they appear to differ not a whit from the women there, except that their behaviour shows them to be more self-restrained than the women. For while women are excluded by the rules of training and of propriety at that season, the flies of their own free will abstain from the sacrifices and absent themselves while the ceremonies are in progress and during the recognised period of the Games. ' Then was the assembly ended ' and the flies come home, just like exiles whom a decree has allowed to return, and once again they stream into Elis.

Alwyn F. Scholfield, Aelian, On Animals, vol. 1: Books 1-5 (= Loeb Classical Library; 446) London 1958.

ἔστω δὲ καὶ τῇ μυίᾳ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν γέρας μὴ ἀμοιρῆσαι τῆς μνήμης τῆς ἐνταῦθα: φύσεως γάρ τοι καὶ ἐκείνη πλάσμα ἐστίν. αἱ μυῖαι αἱ Πισάτιδες κατὰ τὴν τῶν Ὀλυμπίων ἑορτὴν ὡς ἂν εἴποις σπένδονται καὶ τοῖς ἀφικνουμένοις καὶ τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις. ἱερείων γοῦν καταθυομένων τοσούτων καὶ αἵματος ἐκχεομένου καὶ κρεμαμένων κρεῶν αἳ δὲ ἀφανίζονται ἑκοῦσαι, καὶ τοῦ γε Ἀλφειοῦ περαιοῦνται ἐς τὴν ἀντιπέρας ὄχθην. καὶ ἐοίκασι τῶν γυναικῶν τῶν ἐπιχωρίων διαλλάττειν οὐδὲ ὀλίγον, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τι ἐγκρατέστεραι αἱ μυῖαι ἐκεῖναι τῶν γυναικῶν ὁμολογοῦνται τοῖς ἔργοις: τὰς μὲν γὰρ ὁ τῆς ἀγωνίας καὶ τῆς κατ᾽ αὐτὴν σωφροσύνης νόμος ἐλαύνει τὰς γυναῖκας, αἱ μυῖαι δὲ ἑκοῦσαι τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀφίστανται, καὶ ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἱερουργίαις καὶ παρὰ τὸν τῶν ἄθλων χρόνον τὸν νενομισμένον ἀπαλλάττονται. λῦτο δ᾽ ἀγών, αἳ δὲ ἐπιδημοῦσιν, ὥσπερ οὖν καθόδου τυχοῦσαι ψηφίσματι φυγάδες, εἶτα ἐπιρρέουσιν ἐς τὴν Ἦλιν αἱ μυῖαι αὖθις.

Rudolf Hercher (ed.), Claudii Aeliani de natura animalium libri xvii, varia historia, epistolae, fragmenta, vol. 1, Leipzig 1864.