Leontium (also spelled Leontion) was a bright, literate, and well-educated woman who lived in ancient Athens. She likely spent her early life as a courtesan, and she was said to have been engaged in that occupation when she encountered the entourage of the philosopher, Epicurus (c. 341-270 BCE), whose school headquarters was pleasantly nicknamed The Garden. Epicurus’ philosophy, which emphasized pleasure and tranquility (most specifically in the sense of friendship, personal happiness, and the avoidance of stressful or painful troubles), was known to have drawn a significant following of courtesans, as well as those with hedonistic tastes. Diogenes Laertius (3rd century CE), a biographer of ancient philosophers, wrote of the courtesans in Epicurus’ Garden, stating, “It is added that he corresponded with many courtesans, and especially with Leontion, of whom Metrodorus also was enamoured.“ (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 10.6). As the quote conveyed, Leontium became an increasingly close associate of Epicurus and his followers, particularly Metrodorus of Lampsacus—Epicurus’ most distinguished and famous disciple. Infatuation progressed to relationship, for Diogenes Laertius reported, “[Metrodorus] himself took Leontion the Athenian courtesan as his concubine” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 10.23). It is also believed that Metrodorus and Leontium eventually married, but due to Leontium’s association with the courtesan profession, as well as the Epicurean school’s own association with hedonism, rumors abounded that Leontium was also a mistress of others in The Garden, including Epicurus, himself.
Leontium was not content being just a wife, mistress, or concubine to philosophers—instead, she became a published philosopher in her own right. She was especially known for her critiques of other prominent philosophers of her time. Most notably, she wrote criticisms of Theophrastus, the successor of famed Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE) in the Lyceum. Although Leontium’s critiques have been lost to time, they definitely irked generations of adherents to the Academic and Peripatetic schools of philosophy founded by Plato and Aristotle, respectively. Her barbs against Theophrastus were evidently still leaving a sting as late as the time of the Roman statesman Cicero (106-43 BCE), who wrote of “Leontium, that mere courtesan, who had the effrontery to write a riposte to Theophrastus—mind you, she wrote elegantly in good Attic, but still, this was the license which prevailed in the Garden of Epicurus” (Cicero, The Nature of the Gods, 1.93). Unfortunately, despite the renown and recognition she gained in the ancient philosophical community, little else was preserved about Leontium besides the assertion that her daughter, Danaë, followed her mother’s early life footsteps to become a courtesan.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Photograph of a 1st century Roman wall painting from Pompeii, photographed by Fritz Schlesinger (1890-1980), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons, Lette Verein Berlin, and Europeana).
Sources:
- Diogenes Laërtius: Complete Works, originally translated by R. D. Hicks (1850-1929) and republished by Delphi Classics, 2015.
- Cicero, The Nature of the Gods, translated by P. G. Walsh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, 1998, 2008.
- The Essential Epicurus, translated by Michael O’Connor. The Big Nest / Interactive Media, 2014.
- https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0258%3Abook%3D10%3Achapter%3D1#noted
- https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DL%3Aentry+group%3D6
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Metrodorus-the-Younger-of-Lampsacus
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theophrastus
