Phanostrate

Phanostratê (in ancient Greek: Φανοστράτη / Phanostrátē) was a Greek midwife and physician from the Hellenistic period, who lived in the 4th century BCE in the deme of Melite (Attica). Modern historians are only aware of her existence through two stelae created between 360 BCE and 340 BCE. Based on the available documentation, she is identified as the first woman to be referred to as "doctor" (ἰατρὸς / iatros) in the History of Ancient Greece.

A paucity of available information precludes a definitive determination of Phanostratê's origins and social status. It is plausible that she was a mother and post-menopausal, as the philosopher Socrates required of a midwife at that time. Additionally, she must have possessed considerable expertise in the medical arts to practice in other areas of healthcare.

The reference to a statue of Phanostratê in the Asclepieion in Athens, now lost, testifies to the local prominence and reputation she enjoyed during that period.

Stelae attesting to the existence of Phanostratê Phanostratê is known from two marble stelae dating from the 4th century BCE, which can be dated to approximately between 360 BCE and 340 BCE. The first is a funerary stele, discovered in Menidi, currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, and cataloged under inventory number NM 993. It is referenced in epigraphic directories as IG II/III² 6873. The second stele, which was discovered on the southern slope of the Acropolis of Athens, is a monument of gratitude for her services. It is currently housed in the Epigraphic Museum and bears the inventory number 9007. In epigraphic directories, it is referenced as IG II³ 4 7001.

Stele from Menídi The stele IG II/III² 6873 is a bas-relief depicting two women and four children, accompanied by inscriptions. The inscription above the bas-relief reads:

In the bas-relief, the name Antiphilê (Ἀντιφίλη) is inscribed above the woman standing on the left, and Phanostratê (Φανοστράτη) above the seated woman on the right. The dactylic hexameter inscription below the bas-relief reads as follows:

Phanostratê is depicted in a seated position on a klismos (on the right) and shaking hands with Antiphilê (on the left, in a codified pose expressing sadness), both clothed in a chiton and himation. The nature of the relationship between the two women is not specified, leading to a variety of hypotheses regarding their possible connection. These include the possibilities of friendship, kinship, patronage, clientele, or professional collaboration. It seems highly probable that this is one of her close companions, perhaps the individual responsible for commissioning the stele in honor of the deceased. In 1972, Georges Daux was the first to accurately reconstruct the text of the stele and identify the name Antiphilê. This enabled him to ascertain that Phanostratê is the name of the seated woman, as previous scholars had assumed that both women were named the same.

The scene is accompanied by four small children, an unusual number for a funerary stele. Antiphilê is situated between two young girls who direct their gaze towards her. Phanostratê is accompanied by two children of indeterminate sex: one to her right (presumably a girl) is positioned behind her chair, while the other is crouching below. These children may be Phanostratê's, Antiphilê's, or perhaps those of another woman whom the midwife helped deliver and care for. This proximity led in 1970 to erroneously categorize the funerary monument among those of wet nurses, interpreting the word "maia" in this sense and completely overlooking her role as a midwife. He was the first to suggest that it refers to the same Phanostratê named on the Menidi funerary stele, a hypothesis that was later deemed "plausible" by subsequent research.

The inscription was created during the tenure of a priest named Pataïkos, which would place it before 343–342 BCE, according to Sara Aleshire. Despite the lack of contextual information, it is evident that Phanostratê is thanked for assisting a woman named Lysimachê, the wife of Delophanès of Cholargós (a deme six kilometers northwest of Athens) and mother of a daughter, whose name begins with a delta and is otherwise unknown.

Biographical theories

Origins and social status The available evidence regarding Phanostratê's life is limited to the various interpretations of the stelae presented above. The reconstruction of the name "Meliteos" by G. Daux is widely accepted; however, in 2014, Rebecca Futo Kennedy put forth alternative possibilities (Μελιταίς / Mélitaís, Μελιταιέως / Mélitaiéos ou Μιλησια / Milesia) that may indicate that Phanostratê was a metic, a rare mention on women's tombstones of her time.

F. Retief and L. Cilliers posit that she was from Acharnae (a town in Attica) and that she married a Milesian citizen. While concurring with the aforementioned scholars that she was a free woman, as opposed to a slave, V. Dasen is less certain about Phanostratê's origins. Dasen hypothesizes that Phanostratê may have been the daughter or wife of an Athenian citizen from the deme of Melite. For S. Lambert and L. Totelin, even though Phanostratê is depicted on her funerary stele as a woman of high social standing, this does not rule out the possibility that she was, at least temporarily, a slave of a Melitian. This social status would not have precluded her from undertaking significant responsibilities. This hypothesis posits that the name following Phanostratê's is not that of her husband or father, but rather that of her owner. For D. N. Theocharis, Phanostratê's unique status as a midwife and physician in classical antiquity, particularly in Athens, may be attributed to her belonging to a family of local notables and having amassed considerable wealth, which could explain the recognition she received.

It can be reasonably assumed that A. Bielman Sanchez, Phanostratê, had children and was postmenopausal when she began her practice as a midwife. This is based on the understanding that these were the essential prerequisites for midwifery, as outlined by Socrates. However, this theory is challenged by H. Cremo, who notes the existence of alternative midwifery models besides that of Phaenarète, the philosopher's mother. To account for the anomalous absence of males in the bas-relief, A. Bielman Sanchez posits that Phanostratê was "likely a widow", lacking both a spouse and progeny and that she was "wholly devoted to her profession." Consequently, the absence of a name above the bas-relief may signify her lineage. Given that the stele IG II/III² 6873 was discovered in Acharnae, Phanostratê possibly resided and practiced medicine in this town without the supervision of men, which would have been an exceptional social position for a woman of her time.

Studies and medical skills The available evidence suggests that less than 5% of Athenian women from this period could read. However, it is probable that a wealthy professional or the wife of a rich Athenian, as Phanostratê might have been, belonged to this minority. Historians rely on Xenophon's testimony, as presented in Oeconomicus, which assigns the wife the responsibility of overseeing the health of the household members (children, servants, and slaves). This responsibility was likely not distinguished by gender. The boundary between midwife and physician was blurred, depending on personal choice, as there were no laws defining these professions. Given the use of this title and the existence of examples of physicians following her, it seems plausible that Phanostratê also treated male patients. In addition to the title of "physician", the assumption of an extended clientele for Phanostratê is supported by the references to her healing a resident of another deme, the lost statue erected in her honor at the Asclepieion, and the hypothesis that Antiphilê may have been a client.

In the view of Lesley Dean-Jones, the term iatros appears to denote the daughters of physicians who, like their male siblings, underwent comparable training in medicine to that received by their male counterparts. The use of masculine epitaph formulas and a masculine title is not inconsequential; it serves to legitimize her position in a medical community that is predominantly male, without her renouncing her femininity, as evidenced by the bas-relief on her funerary stele.

The appearance of the term lupêra (λυπηρά) in Phanostratê's funerary inscription may be more than mere coincidence. It is conceivable that she was aware of the discourse surrounding the term lupê. (λύπη) — grief or sorrow, which should be avoided for all, particularly patients – and that she engaged in discussions with colleagues regarding its treatment. It is not implausible that a female physician would have been acquainted with Homer's Iliad, Euripides' Hippolytus, and the Hippocratic treatise On Airs, Waters, and Places, which address the concept of lupê. The epitaph serves to exonerate Phanostratê from any implication of causing distress to a patient during her lifetime. It appears to assert that she consistently sought to alleviate or relieve pain, in alignment with the core tenet of the medical profession as articulated in Epidemics, another text within the Hippocratic corpus.