Nannion (fl. c. 350 BC) was a Greek ''

hetaira A (; , ; . , ), Latinized as ( ), was a type of highly educated female companion in ancient Greece who served as an artist, entertainer, and conversationalist. Historians have often classed them as courtesans, but the extent to which they ...

'' (courtesan) during the 4th century BC. She came from a family of hetairai: her mother, Korone, and her grandmother, also named Nannion, were both courtesans. Nannion’s notoriety and prominence in Athenian society are confirmed by references in oratory, comedy, and drama of the period.

Historical context

In Classical Athens, ''hetairai'' were distinguished from common prostitutes (''pornai'') by their education, social skills, and often elite clientele. Unlike Athenian wives, who were largely confined to the domestic sphere, hetairai could attend symposiums and engage in intellectual discourse. Nannion, coming from a lineage of such women, likely benefited from this cultural capital and became a recognizable figure in literary and public life.

Literary and historical mentions

Nannion may be identical to Nannarion, another courtesan mentioned in comic literature. Several scholars believe the names refer to the same individual due to overlapping references in mid-4th century BC texts. She is mentioned in: * The speech ''Against Patrokles'' by the orator

Hyperides Hypereides or Hyperides (, ''Hypereidēs''; c. 390 – 322 BC; English pronunciation with the stress variably on the penultimate or antepenultimate syllable) was an Athenian logographer (speech writer). He was one of the ten Attic orators incl ...

, where she is listed among notorious women, indicating her fame. * A fragment of

Menander Menander (; ; c. 342/341 – c. 290 BC) was a Greek scriptwriter and the best-known representative of Athenian Ancient Greek comedy, New Comedy. He wrote 108 comedies and took the prize at the Lenaia festival eight times. His record at the Cit ...

, where both Nannion and her mother Korone are named, suggesting their notoriety extended across generations. * Comic poets including Antiphanes,

Amphis Amphis (Greek: Ἄμφις) was an Athenian comic poet of uncertain origin from approximately the 4th century BC. Pollux seems to refer to Amphis as a Middle Comedy poet, and Amphis' own repeated references to the philosopher PlatoAmphis (frr. 6; ...

, and

Anaxilas Anaxilas or Anaxilaus (), son of Cretines, was a tyrant of Rhegium (modern Reggio Calabria) in Magna Graecia. He was originally from Messenia, a region in the Peloponnese. Life Anaxilas was master of Rhegium in 494 BC, when he encouraged the Sa ...

also refer to her, often satirically, in their plays, portraying her as a figure of public fascination.

In drama

Nannion’s popularity as a public figure is confirmed by her appearance as a character in the comic play ''Nannion'' by Eubulus. Her portrayal in the Middle Comedy genre reflects the cultural tendency to lampoon and mythologize famous hetairai, making them symbolic of desire and wit.

Nickname

According to later sources, Nannion may have been nicknamed Aix (Greek: Αἴξ), meaning "the goat", though this epithet is also attributed to another hetaira, Niko. Scholars remain divided on whether the nickname genuinely belonged to Nannion or was confused in transmission over time.

Legacy

Despite the limited historical record, Nannion is emblematic of the visibility and influence some women achieved in the male-dominated public sphere of Classical Athens. Her repeated literary appearances, especially across different genres—from oratory to comedy—highlight her role not merely as a private entertainer but as a public figure of rhetorical and comedic interest.

References

{{reflist 4th-century BC Greek women Hetairai Ancient Athenians