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Researchers in Israel have discovered the cremated remains of a Greek courtesan from the time of Alexander the Great Success in UA.
The remains of a young woman discovered on the side of a road in Jerusalem were found alongside a series of bent iron nails and a surprisingly well-preserved and rare mirror with a bronze case.
The tomb, which dates to the third or fourth century BCE, was located in a burial cave excavated next to a highway in southern Jerusalem. Archaeologist Guy Stiebel explained that "this is, in fact, an early evidence of cremation in Israel during the Hellenistic period," reports tsn.ua.
"The most troubling question that arose in connection with this discovery was, what was the grave of a Greek woman doing on the highway leading to Jerusalem, far from any place or settlement of the period?" - says Stiebel.
The answer to this riddle may well be provided by the accompanying funerary inventory, as casket mirrors are considered gendered artefacts usually associated with Greek women.
"The quality of the mirror's workmanship is so high that it is in excellent condition and looks as if it was made yesterday," explained Liat Oz of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Mirrors of this type were very expensive luxury items. It is reported that sometimes Greek women could buy such a mirror as a wedding dowry, although married women usually stayed at home and definitely did not leave Greece. The only other way to obtain such an object was as a gift from a Hellenistic military or political figure to his courtesan, otherwise known as a hetera.
Getera were female escorts, similar to Japanese geishas, who accompanied army officers and government officials on foreign campaigns and provided a range of services, some of which could be of a sexual nature.
According to the researchers, the presence of such an exquisite object next to cremated remains indicates that "this is the grave of a woman of Greek origin who accompanied a high-ranking member of the Hellenistic army or government."
Judging by the age of the burial, it is quite likely that the Hetera and her patron went to Jerusalem during one of Alexander the Great's campaigns or during the Diadochi Wars, which were fought between Alexander's generals for the right to become his successor.
