Celebrando a Dioniso en la polis: las Dieciséis mujeres de Elis

Abstract

In this paper I study the so-called Sixteen women who were in charge of the cults of Dionysus in Elis and of Hera in Olympia. The nomenclature of the association, its hierarchical organisation and its activities are analysed. There are reflections on the leadership capacity of a group of women in late antiquity and on the fact that the Sixteen could serve both Hera and Dionysus simultaneously.