While it's important not to overpraise antiquity (every time period had its achievements, but also its flaws) there're some cases that are worth admiring.
"Tou Sklavou Kai Tis Pornis"note
- Pasinoas' story must be one of the best Rags to Riches stories! Originally from a foreign country and worked as a slave in one Athenian bank, his business mind helped him made the bank he worked one of the biggest in Ancient Greece! His bosses rewarded him by freeing him and passing to him the bank when they died. Pasinoas didn't stop there and founded a shield factory and when the Athenians found themselves in danger, Pasinoas helped them by giving to them 1,000 shields! This didn't go unnoticed by the Athenians, who to show their gratitude towards him, gave to him and to his sons Athenian citizenship.
- The Athenian judges deciding that Neaera doesn't belong to anyone, she's a free woman and she can decide for herself what's best for her. Keep in mind that this decision was taken in a time period where women were considered inferior to men and had no right. That's just a hella crazy case!
"Mia pirouetta Kai mia xylopita eferan tin Dimokratia?" note
- Harmodius and Aristogeiton having enough of Hippias meddling into their relationship and killing him!
- It's being said that a prostitute, Leaina (literally, "lioness") helped these two lovers on their mission and when she was caught, she cut her tongue so she wouldn't talk. The Athenians dedicated to her a statue depicting a lioness without a tongue.
"I gynaika pou latrepse Oli i Ellada" note
- Phryne's life as a whole:
- Her decision to move to Athens. Smart career move!
- Her real name wasn't Phryne. It was Mnesarete. She got that name because her skin was so pale, that it reminded people of the skin of the toad. The fact that she has been associated with a toad (a creature famous for its ugliness) and still went down in history for her beauty is just amazing!
- Courtesans were, in some way, educated prostitutes. But how were they educated, considering that back then women received no education? They taught themselves! And that's what Phryne did!
- The girl didn't go with anybody. She fixed her prices. If she didn't like you, you had to pay higher.
- And yet, she offered her services to Diogenes free, because of his wisdom!
- When she was emerging from the sea in the Great Eleusinian Mysteries, Apelles, a recognized painter saw her and quickly went to his lab to draw Aphrodite, inspired by her.
- Unfortunately, the painting didn't survive, but it inspired Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. Who would have guessed that Phryne's influence would reach The Renaissance?
- When Thebes was destroyed, Phryne offered money to rebuild its walls, with one condition; to write that it was from Phryne, the Courtesan. Her offer was rejected.
- The residents of Kos asked Praxiteles to make a sculpture of Aphrodite. During that time, Phryne was his lover. Praxiteles created two statues; the first was dressed while the second was naked (aka, the Venus de Milo). For the first time, a statue depicted a naked woman. Phryne was, as you probably have guessed, the model for Aphrodite's body.
- And not just that! It's been said that when Aphrodite saw the naked statue, she was shocked and wondered how the hell Praxiteles saw her naked!
- As for the statue itself, the residents of Kos rejected, but the residents of Cnidus LOVED it and build a temple to house it. This statue became one of the most popular of its times and changed art and the way it depicted the feminine body.
- During her trial (she was accused of corrupting the youth), when her lawyer was sure that she would lose, she pull off her clothes and the juries, bewitched by her beauty, exonerated her. That's one version. The other states that she never got naked; she just touched the hands of the juries. A touch of her was enough!
"Pos xtizeis ena toixos? Me psemata!" note
- The entire episode is just an Awesome moment not only to Themistocles, but to Athens as well! Right from the first second, Ted says that Themistocles is one of his all-time favourite Athenians and by the end of the episode, you can guess why! Despite Sparta's protests that Athens shouldn't build a wall (the Spartans were afraid that Athens' influence and newly-found Democracy would make her Greece's strongest city), Themistocles still outsmarted them and Athens built its wall using every stone she could get! Even grave stones!
- And on top of that, Athens ends up becoming Greece's strongest city, exactly what the Spartans feared!
"CSI Cyclades: Yiati fysane meltemia sto Aigaio" note
- Cyrene wrestling with a lion that attacked her father's sheeps and beating it! And we're not the only ones who found it impressive. Apparently, Apollo was so amazed by her bravery and skills that he instantly fell in love with her!
- Aristeus saving Kea from The Plague. Granted, he was given this task because of a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi (and keep in mind that his dad, Apollo, was in charge) and he had to ask Zeus from help, but then again, this kid was amazing! Not surprisingly, considering that his mother was a huntress and his father was a literal god!
