ABSTRACT
Both men insisted that the other's desire for the woman ignited the conflict. The accuser claimed that the defendant, a longstanding enemy who had been captivated by the charms of the accuser's mistress, had barged into his house, seized the woman, and tried to kill him with a piece of pottery. The defendant admitted there had been a melee, but contended that he had been invited to a drinking party at the accuser's house – slaves, flute girls, and wine had been promised – to celebrate their reconciliation. The accuser, the defendant continued, was the first to attack him in a drunken, jealous fit over the woman, who was not a free mistress but a slave whom they jointly owned (Lysias 4).
