120-122

In anticipation of Stephanos’ defense, Apollodoros challenged him to hand over Neaira’s female slaves, to attest that Stephanos’ alleged children were Neaira’s rather than those of a citizen wife (as Stephanos claimed). Apollodoros then explains the difference between prostitutes, concubines, and wives.

120

πρός: “against,” “in reply to”

αὐτῷ παρεσκευασμένων: “suborned by him.” In a legal context παρασκευάζω can mean “to procure persons as witnesses, partisans, etc., so as to obtain a verdict by fraud or force” (LSJ B.I.2).

πρόκλησιν: for challenges, see §60. This is a πρόκλησις εἰς βάσανον. If a litigant wanted to introduce the evidence of slaves (his own or his opponents) into court, he issued a challenge either offering his own slaves or requesting his opponents’ slaves for interrogation under torture (βάσανος). The other party could accept or reject the challenge, or make a counter-challenge offering different slaves or different conditions. When the two parties reached an agreement, the slave was interrogated in the owner’s presence by the litigant who was not the owner. However, although we have evidence for people making challenges, there is no evidence for it actually being carried out. As such, many scholars conclude that it rarely, if ever, occurred in practice.

προὐκαλεσάμην: this is Rennie’s emendation; Dilts 2009 prints the MSS reading προεκαλεσάμην, with no change in meaning.

παραδοῦναι: “to hand over (for interrogation under torture)” (LSJ παραδίδωμι I.A.3)

προσκαρτερούσας < προσκαρτερέω

Θρᾷτταν καὶ Κοκκαλίνην: see §35.

121

τὴν Στρυβήλην καλουμένην: Dilts 2009 brackets this phrase as an interpolation, following Kapparis 1999.

βασανόυ: interrogation under torture; see §120. Slaves’ testimony could be given only under torture.

122

τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἑταίρας…ἔχειν: this is a well-known passage, often studied by scholars interested in sex and gender in ancient Greece. It should be noted that these definitions are rhetorical, not technical or legal.

τῶν ἔνδον: “of the things within,” i.e., the household

ὥστ’: at the beginning of a sentence ὥστε marks a strong conclusion: “and so...”

παραδόντι: “by delivering up for interrogation torture”