Kallipateira ( Gr. ) of

Ialysos Ialysos ( el, Ιαλυσός, before 1976: Τριάντα ''Trianta'') is a town and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which ...

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

came from a renowned family of athletes in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...

. She was caught attending the ancient Olympic Games disguised as a male trainer. Her capture led to a law being introduced that trainers should strip before entering the stadium.

Family

Kallipateira was a granddaughter of Damagetos, king of Ialysos. Her father,

Diagoras of Rhodes Diagoras of Rhodes (; el, Διαγόρας ὁ Ῥόδιος) was an Ancient Greek boxer from the 5th century BC, who was celebrated for his own victories, as well as the victories of his sons and grandsons. He was a member of the Eratidea fa ...

, was a celebrated boxer and Olympic victor. Diagoras won the boxing at several Panhellenic games and was honoured by

Pindar Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar ...

. Her brothers were also Panhellenic champions: Damagetos won

pankration Pankration (; el, παγκράτιον) was a sporting event introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC, which was an empty-hand submission sport with few rules. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques but also others, such as ...

events and Akousilaos won in boxing. Her younger brother

Dorieus Dorieus (died c.510 BC; grc-gre, Δωριεύς) was a Spartan prince of the Agiad dynasty who is mentioned several times in Herodotus. The second son of Anaxandridas II, he was the younger half-brother of Cleomenes I and the elder full brother ...

was the most successful, winning the pankration at 21 different Panhellenic games. Kallipateira was a widow at the time of her arrest at Olympia, which she was attending in support of her own son Peisirodos.

Capture at Olympia

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

records the story of how she was caught: ''It is a law of Elis to cast down it ount Typaionany women who are caught present at the Olympic games, or even on the other side of the Alpheius, on the days prohibited to women. However, they say that no woman has been caught, except Kallipateira only; some, however, give the lady the name of Pherenike and not Kallipateira. She, being a widow, disguised herself exactly like a gymnastic trainer, and brought her son to compete at Olympia. Peisirodus, for so her son was called, was victorious, and Kallipateira, as she was jumping over the enclosure in which they keep the trainers shut up, bared her person. So her sex was discovered, but they let her go unpunished out of respect for her father, her brothers and her son, all of whom had been victorious at Olympia. But a law was passed that for the future trainers should strip before entering the arena.'' Kallipateira’s sister was named Pherenike, which probably explains the confusion with the alternative name. Her story features in a sonnet of the modern Greek poet

Lorentzos Mavilis Lorentzos Mavilis ( el, Λορέντζος Μαβίλης, Spanish: Lorenzo Mabili; 6 September 1860 – 28 November 1912) was a Greek sonneteer, war poet, and chess problems composer. He is best known for his sonnets. He was born in Ithaca an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kallipateira Ancient Olympic Games Ancient Rhodian athletes Panhellenic Games Ancient Greek women