Heroic Parthenoi and the Virtues of Independence: A Feminine Philosophical Perspective on the Origins of Women’s Sport

Abstract

ABSTRACT Her name was Flavia Thalassia and she came from Ephesus. She won the stadion (200 meter footrace) for parthenoi at the Isolympic Sebasta Games in Naples during Domitian’s reign in the late 1st c. CE. The evidence is carved in stone and clear for all to see in the recently excavated victors’ lists from the games. The existence of footraces for unmarried females is well-known in the history of Greek athletics, indeed the event at Olympia that came to be called the Heraia may have been founded simultaneously with men’s events there. But Flavia’s case, specifically the fact that she came all the way from Ephesus and had her name engraved in stone alongside the male victors, raises new questions about ancient female athletics. What was the social purpose of these races? What virtues did the athletes display? And how were they imagined by the women who discussed them? I will attempt to explain the significance of Flavia’s victory using mythology, iconography, history, literature, and philosophy. I will examine not only the Hellenic past of female footraces, but also their purpose in the context of the Roman Empire. Finally, I will comment on its significance for women’s sports today.