Notes on attic Inscriptions (II): XXIII. Who Was Lysistrata?

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Abstract
Papademetriou, in publishing a new grave-inscription from Zographo, has propounded a theory which, if true, has important consequences for our understanding of Attic comedy in general and of the Lysistrata of Aristophanes in particular. For convenience I reprint the text with two slight modifications.In l. 4 the stone has ΜΥΡΡΙΝΕΗΚΛΗΘΗ I prefer to assume that the stone-cutter, uncertain of the correct use of eta (cf. πρώτε and Νίκες in l. 5), has transposed the letters, rather than assume with Papademetriou an unnecessary and unparalleled lengthened form and an omitted augment. After ἐτύμως the three dots of punctuation are clear. Even if they were not, metre and sense would suggest that ἐτύμως went with the previous sentence. ἐτύμως has nearly all its later meaning here. Papademetriou has illustrated the cult-significance of the name Μυρρίνη.His thesis is this. We know the first priestess of Athena Nike was appointed round about 450, perhaps after the Peace of Kallias. Here is her gravestone, which, from the style of its lettering and the transition to Ionic which it illustrates, ought to be close to 400.

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