Elpinice

Elpinice (Greek: Ελπινίκη, Flourished c. 450 BC ancient Greece) was a noble woman of classical Athens.

She was the daughter of Miltiades, tyrant of the Greek colonies on the Thracian Chersonese, and half sister of Cimon, an important Athenian political figure. She is known from Plutarch's life of Pericles where she appears twice in political confrontations with the Athenian statesman.

Greek law allowed marriage between a brother and sister if they had different mothers. Some accounts say that Elpinice was for a time married to her brother, but was later given as a bride to Callias, one of the richest men in Athens, who had fallen in love with her. Callias had made marriage to Elpinice the condition for paying, on Cimon's behalf, the fine which had been imposed upon their father Miltiades and for which Cimon had inherited responsibility.

When Cimon was charged with treason for taking bribes from Alexander I, king of Macedonia, she negotiated his acquittal with Pericles.

When the people of the island of Samos revolted against Athenian rule, Pericles pursued a war against them and punished them by demolishing their city walls, confiscating their ships and forcing them to pay a large fine. Rather than celebrate the victory Epinice was a lone voice who pointed out that it was won over Athens' own people rather that against her true foreign enemies such as the Phoenicians or Medes.Pericles rebuked her with the words "As an old woman you should not anoint yourself with oils." This dismissed the seriousness of her charge and at the same time implied women's only power lay in their sexuality.

Elpinice (daughter of Herodes Atticus)

Appia Annia Claudia Atilia Regilla Elpinice Agrippina Atria Polla (Greek: Αππία Αννία Κλαυδία Ατιλία Ρήγιλλα Ελπινίκη Αγριππίνα Ατρία Πώλλα) otherwise most commonly known as Elpinice (Greek: Ελπινίκη) (142-165) was a Roman noblewoman of Greek Athenian and Italian Roman descent who lived in the Roman Empire.

Ancestry and Family

Elpinice was born to a distinguished and very rich family of consular rank. She was first daughter and among the children of the Greek Athenian Roman Senator, Sophist Lucius Vibullius Hipparchus Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes or Herodes Atticus and the Roman highly aristocratic, influential noblewoman Aspasia Annia Regilla.

The paternal grandparents of Elpinice were the Roman Senator Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes and the wealthy heiress Vibullia Alcia Agrippina while her maternal grandparents were the Roman Senator, Consul Appius Annius Trebonius Gallus and the aristocratic woman Atilia Caucidia Tertulla. Her paternal uncle was Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodianus, while her paternal aunt was Claudia Tisamenis. The maternal uncle of Elpinice was Appius Annius Atilius Bradua who served as an ordinary consul in 160.