Aristomache (Ancient Greek: Ἀριστομάχη) of Erythrae was an ancient Greek poet known only from a report by Polemon of Athens, quoted by Plutarch in his Table Talk. According to this report, Aristomache won the contest for epic poetry at the Isthmian Games twice, and subsequently dedicated a golden book or tablet in the Sicyonian Treasury. It is uncertain whether Aristomache was a real historical figure. If she was, her dates are unknown, though she must have been active before Polemon, writing in the early 2nd century BCE. None of her poetry survives.
Notes
- There were several cities called Erythrae in the ancient Greek world; it is unclear which Aristomache came from.
References
- Clement, P. A.; Hoffleit, H. B. (1969). Plutarch: Moralia, Volume VIII: Table-Talk, Books 1-6. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 389.
- Cameron, Alan (2004). Greek Mythography in the Roman World. Oxford University Press. p. 120. ISBN 9780195171211. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ Rutherford, Ian (2009). "Aristodama and the Aetolians: an itinerant poetess and her agenda". In Hunter, Richard; Rutherford, Ian (eds.). Wandering Poets in Ancient Greek Culture: Travel, Locality and Pan-Hellenism. Cambridge University Press. p. 241.
- Loman, Pasi (2004). "Travelling Female Entertainers of the Hellenistic Age". Arctos. 38: 62.