Pausanias, in his Description of Greece (c. 175 CE), refers to "the Sixteen Women." It's unclear how "the Sixteen Women" became a group. Several interpretations exist, including that they were selected as negotiators from 16 cities, for the purpose of making peace between Elis and Pisa.
Famous quotes containing the words sixteen and/or women:
“O but we talked at large before
The sixteen men were shot,
But who can talk of give and take,
What should be and what not
While those dead men are loitering there
To stir the boiling pot?”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Whiffle [whine and wheeze and snuff and sniffle]: The annoying scratchy sound made by weepy feminists as they lament the sufferings of women and, houndlike, sniff out evidence of male oppression.”
—Camille Paglia (b. 1947)