Lais of Corinth, by Hans Holbein the Younger

Lais of Corinth ( grc, Λαΐς and Λαΐδα) (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

425 BC) was a famous hetaira or

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or othe ...

of ancient

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, who was probably born in

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part ...

. She shared a name with the younger hetaira

Lais of Hyccara Lais of Hyccara ( grc, Λαΐς and Λαΐδα) (died 340 BC) was a hetaira (courtesan) of Ancient Greece. She was probably born in Hyccara, Sicily (modern Carini) and died in Thessaly. She was a contemporary of another courtesan with the same name ...

; as ancient authors (in their usually indirect accounts) often confused them or did not indicate which one they referred to, the two women became inextricably linked. Lais lived during the

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of ...

and was said to be the most beautiful woman of her time. Among her clients were the philosopher

Aristippus Aristippus of Cyrene (; grc, Ἀρίστιππος ὁ Κυρηναῖος; c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a hedonistic Greek philosopher and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy. He was a pupil of Socrates, but adopted a very diffe ...

(two of his alleged writings were about Lais) and the

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

champion Eubotas of Cyrene. Aelian relates a tradition that either she or the other Lais held the nickname "Axine" (" axehead"), for the sharpness of her cruelty. Anne Robertson referenced Corinth for its one thousand temple prostitutes most notably Lais. The city's reputation “added a new word to the Greek language. Korinthiazesthai (to live like a Corinthian) meant to live a life of wealthy, drunken debauchery.”

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lais Of Corinth Hetairai Ancient Corinthians Greek female prostitutes 5th-century BC Greek people 5th-century BC Greek women

See also

References