I have recommended the period about 650 B.C. for an adventure setting for the very same reason that the material for this chapter is so slim.

First between 750 and 600 is the only realistic period for the functional existence of an ‘Amazon’ warrioress, due to the small size of warhorses and the obsolescence of chariots. So idea number 1 for a female character is an Amazon, most likely a scout paired with one to three men from her tribe. A band of Amazon women—if they ever functioned as gender exclusive units—would only do so in their home range, not deep in rough enemy terrain.

The primary reason for picking this period is that we have a real historical woman known by name, who suffered an unknown fate, who produced poetry. Sappho of Lesbos, or as she was more likely known in her time, Sappho of the Rocks, for her habit of gazing out to see from rocky beaches and headlands as she composed her work, was a real person not a semi-mythic demi-goddess like Helen of Troy. Sappho was probably born in 625 B.C. Other than a few female love interests of male poets Sappho is the first named lady we have in the Greek world who is not a mythic figure of the Homeric period, but a known historical person.

If you wish to include Sappho in your tale understand that she might have been borne as early as 630, and that 600 B.C. is still largely a blank as far as events in most of Hellas.

Sappho probably went into exile in Sicily with her daughter between 604 and 596. The one eye-witness to Sappho’s life who recorded his observations was the poet Alcaeus of Mytilene [the major polis on Lesbos], who described her as, ‘lilac-haired, sacred, sweet-smelling Sappho.’

There are also other interesting male characters centered around Mytilene described in the previous chapter.

The next two offerings for female characters are most compelling and belong to mainland Hellas. The first, Moline, could have lived during this period but would most likely be older than Sappho. Her case is made in Chapter 10.

The one female character from fiction I would suggest is Antigone of Thebes who is a central figure in Sophocles' play about her defying her tyrant brother. My instinct is that she is based on a woman of this period when tyrants were trying hard to hold onto their system of individual rule. That system of rule was a compromise between the Homeric war-band based monarchy and the classical oligarchies of the 500s. This woman could be given any name and any polis as her home, so long as there is a tyrant to defy. At this point in history it seems that the only way for a woman to take the political stage was in defense of the gods and the dead. Antigone should be read by any writer considering the development of a politically assertive woman in ancient Hellas.

The final two realistic options would involve the sex trade.

The most attractive choice would be a hetaera, a courtesan, who was a ‘companion’ to rich men, not a whore, but more of an entertainer. In classical times the best companions came from Corinth. It is unclear about this period. However, the origin for professional well-educated female entertainers was most likely an eastern tradition dating back to the temple priestesses of Ishtar in Babylon. The tradition most likely came to Hellas from Cyprus and Phoenicia, with which Corinth had close maritime ties going deep into antiquity. The hetaera would be a good source of information, and is why powerful men kept exclusive ones. Low level politicians however, would often find themselves using a hetaera for various intrigues.

A porne was a slave girl pimped out for sex, with Thracian girls and other fair haired Europeans bringing the best prices. It is highly likely that a successful non-exclusive hetaera would own a number of pornes to satisfy the baser needs of her clientele. Although it will be the least attractive story hook for the modern reader or writer the most likely heroines in archaic Hellas would be escaped pornes and politically compromised hetaerai.

Prominent female characters that may be encountered, but be unlikely protagonists, would include oracles and priestesses of the various, heroes, gods and goddesses.