Ancient Greek Novels

Greek novels appear in the late Hellenistic period. One scholar suggests the “typical” Greek novel followed something like the following story-line: “These are novels of travel, adventure, and romantic love, taking place in a vaguely realistic Mediterranean or Near Eastern setting. A boy and a girl, both exceptionally attractive and of noble birth, meet and fall in love. A cruel fate separates them, and they are tossed around by land and sea, constantly longing and search for one another . . . .

“They are shipwrecked, attacked by pirates, sold as slaves, violently courted by brigands and masters, but would rather die than sacrifice their chastity. Finally, after a long series of tributions, they are reunited and return home to a life of marital bliss.” In fact, the existing novels (there are five of them) and fragments are much more varied than this, and it’s certainly a mistake to assume that the surviving corpus gives a complete picture of this ancient genre.

The Ephesiaka is one example of the genre. It is about 70 pages in print, but packed with movement and action. There are 44 characters, 33 of the named, and many disappear after a short episode. The style and events are repetitive. Here is a selection:

“But Habrocomes remained immured in the prison (in Phoenicia), and Antheia was taken to Syria, along with Leucon and Rhode (their servants). When those in Manto’s part reached Antioch, which was Moeris’ country, she dealt maliciously with Rhode, and hated Antheia bitterly. She gave orders at once that Rhode and Leucon should be loaded on a ship and sold in some place remote from the Syrian country. Antheia she planned to join to a slave, and at that to the vilest sort, a rustic goatherd; this she thought a suitable vengeance. And so she summoned the goatherd, whose name was Lampon, and delivered Antheia to his hands and bade him take her to wife, and she ordered him to use force if Antheia should be unwilling. Antheia was carried off to the country to cohabit with the goatherd. But when she arrived where Lampon kept his goats she fell at his knees and begged him to pity her and preserve her chastity. She explained who she was, and told of her high birth, her husband, her captivity. When Lampon heard these things he took pity on the girl and swore that he would verily keep her chaste and bade her take heart. And so Antheia lived at the goatherd’s in the country, lamenting Habrocomes all the while . . . .”