What's in a Name: Orsilochus, or the Perfect Adulterer

The adultery of wives is a commonplace in Greek comedy. One of the best known, and arguably one of the most notorious, adulterers in late fifth-century Athens was Eratosthenes of Oe. One of the women caught by Aristophanes' Lysistrata while trying to escape from the Acropolis was apparently so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Glotta (Göttingen) 2012, Vol.88 (1-4), p.166-173
Main Authors: Janse, Mark, Praet, Danny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adultery
Attics
Audiences
Dionysian mysteries
Dresses
Etymology
Greek civilization
Greek language
Names
Naming conventions
Nouns
Saffron
Spouses
Wives
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Summary:The adultery of wives is a commonplace in Greek comedy. One of the best known, and arguably one of the most notorious, adulterers in late fifth-century Athens was Eratosthenes of Oe. One of the women caught by Aristophanes' Lysistrata while trying to escape from the Acropolis was apparently so desperately in need of a good lay that she tried to fly off to the house of a certain Orsilochus. This Orsilochus is otherwise unknown, but the scholia describe him as a brothel-keeper and an adulterer, who was satirized in comedy for his effeminacy, which seems to suggest that his name would have sounded familiar to the audience attending Lysistrata. Here, Janse and Praet discuss the etymology of Orsilochus.
ISSN:0017-1298
2196-9043
DOI:10.13109/glot.2012.88.14.166