The Limits of Participation

In the cities of the Greek East, during the late Hellenistic and Roman periods, female members of local ruling elites played a prominent and visible role in public life. Before this time it had only been in the religious sphere, as priestesses or  worshippers, that women had any part to play in the formal
ritual life of the Greek city. From the late Hellenistic period onwards, however, their presence and visibility in other areas becomes much more evident.
In the vast body of inscriptions documenting public life in the Greek cities of Asia Minor (and to a lesser extent mainland Greece and the islands) they increasingly appear as benefactors, using their private wealth for civic purposes,
often in the context of an office or liturgy. Their benefactions include buildings, games and festivals, public feasting and distributions of food, wine or money. In return for their generosity, women received civic honours similar to those conferred on male benefactors: crowns, front seats in the theatre or at public games, annual public proclamation of their name, statues and honorific decrees; all those 'lures of every kind' that cities devised for those seeking distinction and reputation.