The Female Body and Leontion. Why were Epicurean women capable of philosophy?, in J. Muller (ed.), Women and their Body, Berlin-Boston, De Gruyter, pp. 287-301

:Epicurus believed in women’s philosophical capabilities, as shown by his inclusion of female philosophers in his Kepos. However, existing scholarship has not clarified why he held this view. This paper aims to fill this gap. Despite the fragmentary evidence, preserved by hostile sources, I will contend that what clearly emerges from the ancient sources is that Epicurus grounded women’s philosophical aptitude in their possession of a human body. Moreover, I will argue that the Epicurean analogical argument in favor of divine anthropomorphism supports this perspective, for it suggests that anthropomorphic beings inherently possess intellectual faculties. Finally, the essay explores the hypothesis that the Epicurean courtesan Leontion may have used this argument in her critique of Theophrastus’ theology.