Against Neaira Summary

The case against Neaira is an important document in investigating aspects of ancient Athenian culture. One aspect of Athenian life that was very sacred to all was the concept of citizenship. A citizen in Athens had to be the child of two other citizens, and sons had to be registered in the phratry to be recognized as the legitimate children. In order to preserve the idea that citizens were special, and the privileges of citizens should not be extended to those outside of Athenian lineage. Because of this, many laws were enacted in order to reduce the possibility of intermarriage, and illegitimate children. One such law was that citizens could not marry non-citizens, at the expense of all of their property. This is the law that is called into

question in this document as it is believed that Neaira is not a citizen of Athens but is married to an Athenian citizen, Stephanos. While the speaker in the document focuses on proving that Neaira is not a citizen, what is really being addressed is the potential marriage between Stephanos and Neaira.
The claim that they are married could be false, as much of the evidence is not conclusive in favor of Apollodoros. The claim that Stephanos is married to Neaira is very circumstantial, and it is just as, if not more likely that, they were concubines, which was not against the law. One of the primary cases for the two being concubines is the lack of documentation of a wedding, which was often used to establish the dowry. This was clearly excluded from the document, as it would easily prove that they are married. Additionally, “women were generally married in their mid-teens to men ten to fifteen years older” (Strayer 214). Based on the number of adventures listed in the document, and having three children, Neaira is presumably older than her mid-teens, which would have been odd, had she been a citizen.
All other arguments in the document revolve around the status of children, and if Stephanos recognized them as his children.

It states that the boys were from a previous marriage, which is consistent with the earlier story that Neaira had three daughters, and Stephanos has clearly accepted his sons as his offspring. The questions arise mostly over the conspicuous case of the second daughter. The rejection of her former husband and the court case that tries to claim her as the daughter of an alien, but given away in marriage as a full Athenian citizen. Stephanos would not testify that she was his daughter, which points to the fact that Neaira is an alien, but also that Stephanos recognizes the law and just has a concubine relationship with Neaira. It also makes clear the position that women are to hold, as his reasoning for divorcing her was that she was not a proper woman, and her husband felt that he had been cheated. This story may have been shaped in a way that her husband realized that her poor manners indicated her lack of citizenship, as was a popular belief that non-citizens were uncivilized barbarians, but more likely it is the case that her poor manners were a primary reason for her dismissal from her husband’s house. This can be reaffirmed by the acceptance of their son as the heir to his

property.
Potentially one of the reasons that there was so much animosity in this case was that Neaira was a well-known prostitute, which was seen as being unclean, and that women should be virgins when they are married. In the textbook Ways of the World by Robert W. Strayer and Eric W. Nelson, it is stated that “‘What causes women a bad reputation… is not remaining inside’” (Strayer 214). The animosity that Apollodoros holds against visible women could have also accounted for his bringing about the case, on top of the supposed ‘wrongs’ committed by Stephanos.
Overall, the case against Neaira is a weak one, and the argument is misguided. It is clear that Neaira is not a citizen, and what was unclear was the status of her relationship with Stephanos. It seems far more likely that Neaira was a concubine, and thus their relationship was legal. The price of marrying a non-citizen is too great to overlook.