Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, March 23
    Trending
    • This Day in History on March 23rd
    • R.I.P. Lance Reddick (1962-2023)
    • This Day in History on March 22nd
    • This Day in History on March 21st
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 20th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on March 20th
    • April 4, 2023: Your Chance to Preview Air
    • This Day in History on March 19th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Naked History»Ancient Women Famous for Being Naked
    Naked History

    Ancient Women Famous for Being Naked

    Beth MichaelsBy Beth MichaelsFebruary 13, 2017Updated:February 13, 201710 Comments5 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    Historian Linda Hall asks, “Were Ancient women powerful or powerless?”1   One might refine this question to ask, “Were Ancient women famous for being naked powerful or powerless?”  The women listed below unquestionably wielded power on men and women alike despite and in some cases because of their physical attributes.  This article therefore explores some of Antiquity’s most famous women known for being naked and their influence on history.

    Digging Deeper

    1)  Nefertiti (c. 1,370 B.C. – c. 1,330 B.C)

    Known primarily for the beautifully sculpted bust that is on display at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, Nefertiti, wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, was also depicted naked.  Unlike previous rulers of Egypt, she and her husband worshiped just one  God – Aten, the Sun God; and they created the cult of Aten.  In this cult, Nefertiti, as the “Great Royal Wife” and mother to many of Akhenaten‘s children, represented fertility.  Therefore, unlike other queens, there were also representations of her nude.  One surviving example is in the same collection as the more famous bust.

    2)  Helen of Troy (c. 1,200 B.C.)

    The “face that launched a thousand ships” belonged to Helen of Troy.  Though excavations have unearthed the old city of Troy, whether Helen existed or not or if there had been the Trojan War or even the Trojan Horse at all has not yet been conclusively proven.  It is also not known if her husband Menelaus truly showed her off naked at a party to impress his guests or if this incident was a Hollywood fabrication.  According to legend, however, when Menelaus finally found his wife after Troy had been sacked, he had wanted to kill her for the humiliation she had caused him, but when he was about to do so, she let her robe fall, exposing her nude body.  The sight  of her beauty caused Menelaus to drop his sword.  Talk about knowing how to best use one’s feminine charms!

    3) Bathsheba (c. 1000 B.C.)

    Bathsheba, wife of David and mother of Solomon, is almost always depicted nude because it was her nakedness that caught the attention of David, King of Israel and Judah, as he peered down from the rooftop and spied upon her at her bath.  Her tale is a tale of sensuality, lust, seduction and sex.  It was not she, however, who seduced David, it was David who seduced her, and in Bathsheba’s case, she was still married to another man at the time David impregnated her!  It is hard to believe that this is a Bible story and not some episode of a sordid talk show!

    4) Phryne (c. 370-300 B.C.)

    Phryne
    Phryne at her trial, by Jean-Léon Gérôme, c. 1861

    A courtesan (a.k.a prostitute) in ancient Greece, one of Phryne’s lovers happened to be the sculptur Praxiteles who asked her to model for his statue Aphrodite of Knidos.  He also made two other statues of her which stood at the temples of Thespiae and Delphi, one of them in gilded bronze.  The most famous episode her life is her trial.  The charge has long been forgotten but not the fact that she supposedly exposed her breasts in court to incite pity.

    5)   Susanna (first mentioned in the 2nd century B.C.)

    Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi
    Susanna and the Elders
    by Artemisia Gentileschi
    Click on Portrait to Enlarge

    The biblical story of Susanna is mentioned in the Book of Daniel.  While bathing naked in her garden, two old lechers see her and threaten to accuse her, a married woman, of meeting with a young man unless she agrees to have sex with them.  Susanna does not cave in to the blackmail and is arrested.  At her trial, her innocence is proven when her two accusers are questioned separately and give conflicting accounts of the supposed episode.  Like Bathsheba, the other woman from the Bible famous for being naked and involved in a sexual scandal,  Susanna is mostly depicted naked in artwork.  The oldest depiction is on an engraved rock known as the Lothair Crystal from the 9th century.  She has also been painted by world-renowned artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Artemisia Gentileschi, Pablo Picasso as well as many others.  Her story is also favorite of musicians; George Frideric Handel wrote an oratorio based on the incident, and the like-named American opera Susanna transplants the biblical story into modern times.  Writers have also been inspired by Susanna, and even Shakespeare mentioned her in The Merchant of Venice.

    6)  Messalina (c. 17/20 – 48)

    The nymphomaniac Messalina, was the third wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius.  Her sex drive was so insatiable that she even engaged in a contest with the leading prostitute in Rome and won!  When news of this, however, as well as other discretions and plots got to her husband, he unceremoniously had her head cut off.  As a result of her lustful reputation, most artistic representations of her accentuate her sexuality by showing her in sexy poses and/or in the nude.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook.

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    Notes:

    1 Linda Hall, “Ancient Women: Powerful or Powerless?” in Exploring The European Past: Texts & Images, Second Edition, ed. Timothy E. Gregory (Mason: Cengage Learning, 2011), 99-128.

    Other sources:

    For more information, please see here and here.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleFebruary 13, 1954: Frank Selvy Scores 100 Points in Division I Basketball Game
    Next Article February 14, 2005: YouTube is Launched!
    Beth Michaels
    • Website
    • Facebook

    Beth Michaels attended a private college in Northeast Ohio from which she earned a Bachelor’s degree in German with a minor in French. From there she moved to Germany where she attended the University of Heidelberg for two years. Additional schooling earned her certifications as a foreign language correspondent and state-certified translator. In her professional career, Beth worked for a leading German manufacturer of ophthalmological medical instruments and devices as a quality representative, regulatory affairs manager and internal auditor.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Who Was the First Black Miss America?

    September 17, 2022

    Medieval Women Famous for Being Naked

    July 10, 2017

    November 27, 1835: Last Executions for Sodomy in England

    November 27, 2016
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on March 23rd

    March 23, 2023

    R.I.P. Lance Reddick (1962-2023)

    March 23, 2023

    This Day in History on March 22nd

    March 22, 2023

    This Day in History on March 21st

    March 21, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 20th, 2023)

    March 20, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.