Puellae gaditanae (Latin: 'girls from Gades') was the name that, by extension, the ancient Romans gave to all the female dancers from southern Hispania Baetica, whether or not they were from Gades (Cádiz).
The earliest references to the puellae gaditanae are found in Strabo's account of Eudoxus of Cyzicus, who embarked from Cádiz in the 2nd century BC with the aim of circumnavigating Africa, and took young musicians in his crew.[1] It is not known with certainty if they were dancers, singers, instrumentalists or prostitutes, or perhaps all at once.
Martial says that after the triumphal entry of Quintus Caecilius Metellus into Rome, after the Sertorian War (around 74 BC), his entourage included some Andalusian girls who danced and who attracted attention for their "mischievous and playful feet" and for their crusmata baetica ("metal castanets"). Elsewhere, Martial highlights the sensual qualities of these dancers and that they sang, murmuring, love songs. The poet Juvenal, a contemporary of Martial, makes similar references, detailing that in their dances they descended towards the ground until they touched it, which was highly applauded by the populace. Other authors state that women from Cadiz cultivated lyric poetry before the Christian era.
In Rome, the dancers from Cadiz were as famous as the Syrian ones and equally desired and exciting in dancing and singing. Their presence was obligatory in many sumptuous feasts at Rome.[2] Martial describes one of them in the following terms:In Rome shameless dance teachers taught the dances and songs of Cádiz. Martial describes this dance:
Martial invites his friend Toranius to a meal at his house, but warns him that he will not animate the feast with dancers from Gades:
Humming in Rome licentious songs from Egypt or Gades, which made Gades dancers fashionable, was proof of being effeminate, according to Martial:
Martial gives the name and performance of one of these dancers from Gades; she was called Telethusa. She is described in one epigram,[3] and he dedicates other epigrams to her. Martial awaits the arrival of Telethusa to drink in her company:
Juvenal confirms the description of Martial, writing:
Some writers have suggested a connection between the survival and flourishing of the puellae gaditanae in the Roman world and the broader institution of sacred prostitution that formed around the cult of the Phoenician Astarte, the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus.[4] Joaquín Costa in his book Las juglaresas gaditanas en el Imperio Romano dates them to an earlier date, locating their origin in the "noisy choirs and dances with which the Bastetani celebrated their tribal or family festivals".