Volumnia Cytheris (fl. 1st-century BC) was an ancient Roman actress and mimae dancer. She is foremost known as the mistress of several famous Romans. She was originally a slave and later

freedwoman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

. On stage, she was normally referred to only as Cytheris. The name derived from "Cythera" a nickname for

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

. She had relationships with

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

and

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...

, which attracted a lot of attention in contemporary ancient Rome. She is mentioned as the companion of her aristocratic lovers in social occasions when the presence of a courtesan was otherwise not common, and considered shocking. Her rejection of

Cornelius Gallus Gaius Cornelius Gallus (c. 70 – 26 BC) was a Roman poet, orator and politician. Birthplace The identity of Gallus' purported birthplace, '' Forum Iulii'', is still uncertain, and it is based on the epithet "Foroiuliensis" that Jerome gave to h ...

reportedly provided the theme for

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

's tenth

Eclogue An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics. Overview The form of the word ''eclogue'' in contemporary English developed from Middle English , which came from Latin , wh ...

. Gallus refers to her in his work under the name ''Lycoris''. She is one of few free influential Roman courtesans mentioned by her contemporaries, others being

Praecia Praecia (fl. 73 BC) was a Roman courtesan, famed for her influence within Roman politics. She was active as a professional high class courtesan in Rome. She was known for her wide net of high-profile clients among the political elite, and for ...

and

Chelidon Chelidon (fl. 74 BC) was a Roman courtesan, famed for her influence during the praetorship of Gaius Verres. She was a freedwoman and a successful professional high class courtesan. She was introduced to Gaius Verres by the courtesan Pippa and Ter ...

. Anise K. Strong:
Prostitutes and Matrons in the Roman World
'

References

* Matthew Dillon, Lynda Garland,
Ancient Rome: A Sourcebook
' * Edith Hall, Rosie Wyles,
New Directions in Ancient Pantomime
' {{AncientRome-bio-stub Ancient actresses Ancient Roman courtesans 1st-century BC Roman women 1st-century BC Romans Ancient Roman theatre practitioners Mistresses Ancient Roman dancers Republican era slaves and freedmen Mark Antony Marcus Junius Brutus

See also

References