The women from Amphissa by Alma Tadema. An ancient anti-war story

An astonishing painting... When I first saw it, it gave me the quick impression, not just of a very good illustration, but of a real photo of puppets; something like a scene in a spot of madame Tussauds wax museum. Perhaps the truly believable marble surfaces, for which the painter was famous, and the illustrated details are playing some part for this illusion of reality.

The work was created by the Dutch painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema [1836 – 1912] in 1887; and now it's part of the Clark Art Institute collection.

It depicts a scene of the 3rd sacred war in 350 BCE ca, described by Plutarch of 1st c. CE, where the women from the city of Amphissa offered hospitality and protection to the Thyiads, the female frantic worshippers of god Dionysus; as they found themselves sleeping accidentally in the market-place of the city. And it's actually an anti-war message, as, due to that war, the Thyiads could be maltreated in Amphissa. However, it's a little unclear why they were in danger; cause they could be considered belonging to the enemy side, or just by some soldiers' possible atrocities?

The women from Amphissa by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1887. Oil on canvas, originally 184.2 x 122.5 cm, here in a best possible resolution 6434 x 4303 px [almost 18MB, wait a little to load].

The story...

Plutarch, Mulierum virtutes [Γυναικῶν Ἀρεταί], 249e-f

Τῶν ἐν Φωκεῦσι τυράννων κατειληφότων Δελφοὺς καὶ τὸν ἱερὸν κληθέντα πόλεμον Θηβαίων πολεμούντων πρὸς αὐτούς, αἱ περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον γυναῖκες, ἃς Θυιάδας ὀνομάζουσιν, ἐκμανεῖσαι καὶ περιπλανηθεῖσαι νυκτὸς ἔλαθον ἐν Ἀμφίσσῃ γενόμεναι· κατάκοποι δ’ οὖσαι καὶ μηδέπω τοῦ φρονεῖν παρόντος αὐταῖς ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ προέμεναι τὰ σώματα σποράδην ἔκειντο καθεύδουσαι. τῶν δ’ Ἀμφισσέων αἱ γυναῖκες, φοβηθεῖσαι μὴ διὰ τὸ σύμμαχον τὴν πόλιν Φωκέων γεγονέναι καὶ συχνοὺς στρατιώτας παρεῖναι τῶν τυράννων ἀγνωμονηθῶσιν αἱ Θυιάδες, ἐξέδραμον εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἅπασαι καὶ κύκλῳ περιστᾶσαι σιωπῇ κοιμωμέναις μὲν οὐ προσῄεσαν, ἐπεὶ δ’ ἐξανέστησαν, ἄλλαι περὶ ἄλλας ἐγίνοντο θεραπεύουσαι καὶ τροφὴν προσφέρουσαι· τέλος δὲ πείσασαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπηκολούθησαν αὐταῖς ἄχρι τῶν ὅρων ἀσφαλῶς προπεμπομέναις.

When the tyrants in Phocis had seized Delphi and the Thebans were waging the so-called sacred war against them, the women devotees of [god] Dionysus, whom they are calling Thyiads, mad with passion and wandering at night, they reached unnoticed in Amphissa· being very weary and not yet having sanity, they lied down to sleep letting down the bodies here and there in the market. And the women of the Amphisseans, fearing that the Thyiads might be treated unfairly, cause the city had become allied with the Phoceans and many soldiers of the tyrants were present, they all ran into the market and surrounding them in circle silently they didn't approach them while sleeping, but when they woke up, each [Amphissean woman] was concerned with each [Thyiad] providing service and food· in the end, after persuading the men, they followed them, escorted safely, till the frontiers.

According to Plutarch the Thyiads were female worshippers of god Dionysus; the wine god of Bacchic frenzy. It's really noteworthy that they hadn't regain their sanity when they risky chose to sleep in the middle of Amphissa's market-place. They were generally practicing their religious duties & rites near the site of Delphi, close to Amphissa. Pausanias of the 2nd c. CE is characteristically mentioning the Corycian cave and the heights of mountain Parnassus [Paus. 10.32.7]. And Plutarch is saying that their accidental entrance to Amphissa could provoke the soldiers of the Phocean tyrants to harm them.

In another passage Pausanias is giving some more details about the identity of the Thyiads...

Pausanias, 10.4.3

τὸ ἕτερον δὲ οὐκ ἐδυνήθην συμβαλέσθαι πρότερον, ἐφ᾽ ὅτῳ καλλίχορον τὸν Πανοπέα εἴρηκε, πρὶν ἢ ἐδιδάχθην ὑπὸ τῶν παρ᾽ Ἀθηναίοις καλουμένων Θυιάδων. αἱ δὲ Θυιάδες γυναῖκες μέν εἰσιν Ἀττικαί, φοιτῶσαι δὲ ἐς τὸν Παρνασσὸν παρὰ ἔτος αὐταί τε καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες Δελφῶν ἄγουσιν ὄργια Διονύσῳ. ταύταις ταῖς Θυιάσι κατὰ τὴν ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν ὁδὸν καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ χοροὺς ἱστάναι καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Πανοπεῦσι καθέστηκε

I couldn't understand previously the other [passage by Homer], in which he called Panopeus [a place] for beautiful dances, till I was taught by the ones called Thyiads by the Atheneans. And the Thyiads are Attic women, and frequenting at Parnassus mountain, every second year they and the Delphian women are celebrating orgies [=secret rites] for Dionysus. And it's the custom for these Thyiads to hold dances along the road from Athens and elsewhere and near Panopeus.

It's a little problematic to apply this Attic origin to all the Thyiads as Pausanias is narrating. Cause the Thyiads of our war incident in Plutarch are in danger by the soldiers of the Phocean tyrants. However, Athens, that was controlling Attica, should be considered mostly an ally of Phocis against Thebes and Macedonia during this 3rd sacred war [eg. Diod. 16.37]. Perhaps Pausanias is specifying somehow the Thyiads to whom he talked. And the Thyiads of our war-story should have been considered as representatives of the broader Delphian religion. In any case the sacred site of Delphi had already become a target by the Phoceans during that war.

With this approach seems agreeing a following passage by Pausanias again, where Thyiads are just the frantic worshippers of Dionysus.

Pausanias, 10.6.4

οἱ δὲ Καστάλιόν τε ἄνδρα αὐτόχθονα καὶ θυγατέρα ἐθέλουσιν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι Θυίαν, καὶ ἱερᾶσθαί τε τὴν Θυίαν Διονύσῳ πρῶτον καὶ ὄργια ἀγαγεῖν τῷ θεῷ: ἀπὸ ταύτης δὲ καὶ ὕστερον ὅσαι τῷ Διονύσῳ μαίνονται Θυιάδας καλεῖσθαι σφᾶς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων: Ἀπόλλωνος δ᾽ οὖν παῖδα καὶ Θυίας νομίζουσιν εἶναι Δελφόν.

Others say that Castalios was a native man and had a daughter Thyia, and that Thyia was the first priestess of Dionysus and celebrated orgies [=secret rites] for the god: and that thereafter those women, who are celebrating Dionysus with frenzy, are called by men Thyiades themselves after her: and they think that Delphos is son of Apollo and Thyia

All these made me think that the danger that the Thyiads were facing by the soldiers of the Phocean tyrants, was due to the Delphic somehow origin of their religion.

In any case the painting remains astonishing!