Phryne: Beautiful Greek courtesan disrobing and the “halo effect”

[guy]

(Phryne is said to be the model of this later Roman copy of an earlier Greek statue of Aphrodite of Knidos)

 

 

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Phryne the Thespian was a notable ancient Greek hetaira, or courtesan, of Athens, who is remembered throughout the millennia for her dramatic trial which she won by baring her naked body.

According to Athenaeus, Phryne was prosecuted on a capital offense, and was defended by the orator Hypereides, one of her lovers. Athenaeus does not specify the nature of the charge, though some other historical sources state that she was accused of profaning the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Athenaeus wrote that Hypereides tore off Phryne’s dress in the middle of the courtroom to show the judges her beautiful body.

His reasoning was that only the gods could sculpt such a perfect body; thus killing or imprisoning her would be seen as blasphemy and disrespect to the gods.

 

This appears to be an example the “halo effect.”(Unfortunately, I would not stand a chance with Phryne’s jury.):

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  Efran (1974) found subjects were more lenient when sentencing attractive individuals than unattractive ones, even though exactly the same crime was committed. The researchers attributed the result to a societal perception that people with a high level of attractiveness are seen as more likely to have successful futures due to corresponding socially desirable traits.

https://greekreporter.com/2021/09/12/the-ancient-greek-model-who-disrobed-for-her-freedom/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect

Edited February 2 by guy

[caldrail]

Similar clues are available in the sources if you care to note. One that springs to mind is the senatorial trial of Galba c.150bc in which he gets let off because his children were present and crying their eyes out. But it's more fundamental than that. The division between humiliores and honestiores is case of society giving preferential treatment to the upper classes (if you're a slave, there's little justice to be had).