Ninos or Nino was an ancient
Athenian
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
woman who was executed at some point in the classical period. Her case is known through three mentions in speeches by
Demosthenes
Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prow ...
– ''
Against Boeotus I'' and ''II'', and ''
On the False Embassy "On the False Embassy" ( grc, Περὶ τῆς παραπρεσβείας) is the name of two famous judicial orations, both delivered in 343 BC by the prominent Athenian statesmen and fierce opponents, Demosthenes and Aeschines.
Historical backgr ...
'' – and one in
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
. The prosecution was apparently brought by a man named Menecles, who would go on to be prosecuted in turn by Ninos' son. The date of the prosecution is uncertain: ''Against Boeotus I'' was delivered in 348, which provides a
terminus ante quem
''Terminus post quem'' ("limit after which", sometimes abbreviated to TPQ) and ''terminus ante quem'' ("limit before which", abbreviated to TAQ) specify the known limits of dating for events or items..
A ''terminus post quem'' is the earliest da ...
;
Esther Eidinow
Esther Eidinow (born 1970) is a British ancient historian and academic. She specialises in ancient Greece, particularly ancient Greek religion and Magic in the Graeco-Roman world, magic. She has been Professor of Ancient History at the Universit ...
suggests a date of between 362 and 358 BC. The case was apparently well known in the mid-fourth century, as Demosthenes refers to it in his speeches as if the jury are expected to be familiar with the case.
According to Demosthenes, Ninos was a priestess, and was charged with bringing together ''
thiasoi''. One
scholiast
Scholia (singular scholium or scholion, from grc, σχόλιον, "comment, interpretation") are grammatical, critical, or explanatory comments – original or copied from prior commentaries – which are inserted in the margin of th ...
on this passage says that her crime was mocking the
Dionysian Mysteries; another says that she made love potions. It is unclear where the scholiast's information about love potions comes from – Eidinow suggests that it is a misinterpretation of Demosthenes' text, while Matthew Dickie says that the comment "does not emerge from anything in the text of Demosthenes" and may have been derived from an
Atthidographer
In ancient Greece, Atthidographers ( grc, Ἀτθιδογράφος, ''atthidographos'') were local historians of Attica. They wrote histories of Athens called ''Atthides'' (singular: ''Atthis''). Atthidography is the best-attested genre of loca ...
or another speech. Whatever its derivation, Derek Collins is skeptical of the scholiast's report, arguing that manufacturing love potions was not a criminal offence. Finally, Josephus lists Ninos as one of five Athenians put to death for ''
asebeia Asebeia (Ancient Greek: ἀσέβεια) was a criminal charge in ancient Greece for the "desecration and mockery of divine objects", for "irreverence towards the state gods" and disrespect towards parents and dead ancestors. It translates into En ...
'' (impiety).
Notes
References
Works cited
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* {{citation, last=Filonik, first=Jakub, journal=Dike, year=2013, title=Athenian Impiety Trials: A Reappraisal, volume=16, doi=10.13130/1128-8221/4290
Ancient Athenian women
Ancient Greek priestesses
4th-century BC Greek women
4th-century BC clergy