Leontium

Leontium (Leontion) was a Greek philosopher who followed the teachings of Epicurus. One of the three major schools of Hellenistic philosophy, Epicureanism taught modest materialism and the pursuit of pleasure through the absence of pain as the highest form of happiness. Little is known about Leontium, nor do any of her works survive, but some say she was a hetaera (courtesan or prostitute). However, the Epicureans were attacked by many ancient authors for their purported hedonism, and the charge of prostitution was one way to discredit them. Moreover, women such as Leontium who flouted social convention by not marrying, for instance, were often labeled courtesans.