Basilinna (priestess)

The Basilinna (Βασιλίννα; dt. Queen ) was the wife of the Athenian Archon basileus .

She had to be an Athenian citizen and a virgin when married (which does not, however, have to refer to the marriage to the basileus, as the case of Phano proves, who was married to the basileus for the second time). One of her sacred tasks were secret rites in the Dionysus cult , during which she was symbolically given to Dionysus as wife ( holy wedding ). Most important, however, was her structural role as queen of the ancient Dionysus cult.

literature

• Debra Hamel : The Neaira Case. The true story of a hetaera in ancient Greece . Primus-Verlag, Darmstadt 2004. ISBN 3-89678-255-X , pp. 120-130