Revenge of the Hetairistria: The Reception of Plato’s Symposium in Lucian’s Fifth Dialogue of the Courtesans

The importance of Plato for Lucian is manifest and acknowledged by scholars. Yet this perception is not normally extended to the Dialogues of the Courtesans. We argue that Plato is, in fact, crucial for understanding the fifth of these dialogues, which draws upon Plato’s Symposium not only for its symposiastic setting and generic character but for certain distinctive themes, notably the confusion of normative sex-roles, hierarchi es and practices. This relationship helps us to reach a better understanding of the most remarkable aspect of Dialogue 5: its uniquely detailed account of sex among women.