Thais1, Athenian hetera of unknown parentage2, began a liaison with Ptolemy I c3353, probably married him c. 3234, bore him three children5, Lagus, Leontiscus and Eirene; date of death unknown.
[2] Athenaeus 13.576e. E. R. Bevan, The House of Ptolemy 53 n. 3 reports a suggestion of Letronne that she was actually Egyptian, the name representing the Egyptian "Ta-Isis", but correctly rejects this as coincidence in light of Athenaeus' testimony. Ý
[3] Inferred from the likely birthdate of her daughter. Ý
[4] Athenaeus 13.576e says that Ptolemy I married Thais after the death of Alexander. However, it is difficult to believe that his children by her were born so late. Since Alexander died in June 323, the eldest would be born in 322 at the earliest. Assuming him to be Lagus, he was no older than 15 on his victory in the Lycaean games of 308/7, making his brother at best the same age at the time of his capture in the battle of Salamis in 306. Moreover the most likely context for the marriage of Thais' daughter Eirene is early in Ptolemy's conquest of Cyprus, i.e. c. 320, which implies a birth date of c335 or earlier. Athenaeus' statement is perhaps best understood as referring to the legitimation of a long-standing camp relationship between Ptolemy and Thais, made possible only by Alexander's death. Ý
[5] Athenaeus 13.576e Ý
Update Notes:
8-9 Feb 2002: Added individual trees
17 Feb 2002: Split out into separate entry
4 Jan 2003: Add note on Letronne's conjecture that
Thais was actually an Egyptian
11 Mar 2005: Added Greek transcription, link to Bevan
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