Female acrobats in the Classical world

2.ALEXANDROPOULOU, EULIMENE 25 (2024) (English)
Pubblicato: févr. 24, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/eul.40585
Anna Alexandropoulou
Ephorate of Antiquities of Pireaus and Islands
Abstract

Vases from Athens and South Italy, and statuettes from Lesbos and the Lipari islands among others, form a rich material for the examination and interpretation of the role of naked female acrobats in classical society. Their traditional connection with symposia and the world of hetairai has largely remained undisputed. A new interpretation is also possible based on the examination of figured scenes on Attic and Italian red-figure vases and literary sources. These offer evidence for the appearance of female naked acrobats in cultic contexts which include other known ceremonial acts such as the kalathiskos dance. Female acrobats appear in scenes chiefly connected with Artemis, Apollo and Dionysus. Therefore, we may assume that besides their evident connection with the world of spectacle, they may also form a special ritual activity related to the passage to adulthood.

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