Conclusion

This chapter compares the appearance of the kinaidos in Greek sources and the cinaedus in Roman ones to argue that this figure draws upon anxieties particular to each cultural context. In classical Greece, the kinaidos displays a level of luxury and elitism which is troublesome to a culture which values commonality; in the hierarchically structured society of Rome the cinaedus is of more lowly status. Whereas participation in theatrical performance at classical Athens is a civic duty, professional performers are societal outsiders at Rome, where the cinaedus’ lascivious dancing draws much notice and debars him from full civic status. The evidence from Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, while offering some glimpses into the lived lives of individuals adopting this identity, in the end highlights the obstacles to reconstructing this figure completely. Yet across all contexts certain characteristics adhere to the kinaidos/cinaedus (and his verse form the Sotadean): plasticity, flexibility, and virtuosic performativity.