Philodemus, De Stoicis 7, Col. 19.12-22: condemning the attitude of the Stoics toward female athletics

Philodemus, De Stoicis 7, Col. 19.12-22: condemning the attitude of the Stoics toward female athletics

1st century BCE

Philosophical text

Literary source

Here Philodemos criticizes the Stoics for wanting women to train naked in the gymnasion and run races together with men.

(They say that) women should wear the same clothes as men and partake in the same habits, by no means differentiating even once; the racetrack and the gymnasia [. . .] they should be naked and, removing all clothes in the presence of everyone, they should also train together with the men and not cover anything.

translation by Alexander Meeus for the Cynisca project

τὴν αὐτὴν σ̣τολὴν ἀμ̣πέχεσθαι τοῖς ἀ̣ν̣δράσ̣ιν τὰς γυναῖκα[ς] καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν μετέχ̣[ειν ἐπιτη]δευμ̣άτω̣[ν, πά]ντως δ̣[ὲ μηδʼ] ἅ̣παξ ἀπ̣[η]λλοιῶσ[θαι]· δ[ρόμο]ν ἔ̣τι καὶ γ[υ]μ̣νάσια [. . .]ε[. . .] γυμνὰς εἶναι καὶ [πάντʼ] ἀφαιρούσας ἐναντίον [π]άντων καὶ συνγυμνάζεσ|θαι [τοῖς] ἀνδράσιν μηδὲν ἀπο[κεκρυμμένον] γίνεσθαι

Tizano Dorandi (ed.), ‘Filodemo, Gli Stoici (PHerc. 155 e 339)’, Cronache Ercolanesi 12 (1982) 91-133.