Aspasia
Who was Aspasia?
5th-century BC partner of Athenian statesman Pericles
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Aspasia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Aspasia was an influential thinker in 5th-century BC Athens, born in Miletus around 470 BC. As a metic (foreign resident) in Athens, she held a unique place in society, gaining influence through her relationship with the statesman Pericles and her reputation as a talented speaker and philosopher. Despite the restrictions on women in ancient Greek society, Aspasia managed to engage in intellectual and political life in remarkable ways for her era.
Her relationship with Pericles, which started between 452 and 441 BC, was both politically important and personally significant. Whether as his concubine, common-law wife, or legally acknowledged spouse, Aspasia gave birth to their son, known as Pericles the Younger. Ancient sources suggest that Pericles valued her intellectual input and may have defended her against accusations of impiety from political opponents who aimed to attack him through her. Their partnership endured until Pericles's death in 429 BC during the plague that hit Athens.
After Pericles's death, Aspasia married Lysicles, a politician and military leader, though this marriage was short-lived as Lysicles died in 428 BC. After this, historical records offer no reliable information about her later life or death. The lack of concrete biographical details highlights the general absence of women from official historical records, making Aspasia's recorded presence in political and intellectual circles particularly noteworthy.
Aspasia's intellectual reputation was strong enough that ancient philosophical writers depicted her as a master of rhetoric and dialectic. Some scholars think she might have inspired Plato's creation of Diotima, the wise woman who teaches Socrates about love in the Symposium. However, her legacy was complicated by her portrayal in Athenian Old Comedy, where she was depicted as a courtesan and a manipulative influence over Pericles. These comedic depictions, although politically driven and likely exaggerated, influenced later historical accounts and shaped how she was viewed in subsequent centuries.
Before Fame
Born in Miletus, a thriving Greek city in Asia Minor known for its philosophical schools and trade, Aspasia likely received an education that was rare for women of her time. Miletus had a history of intellectual inquiry, being home to early philosophers like Thales and Anaximander, which may have influenced her later philosophical interests.
Her move to Athens probably happened during the city's golden age under Pericles, when Athens attracted intellectuals, artists, and ambitious people from all over the Greek world. As a foreign woman in Athens, she faced significant social restrictions, yet managed to establish herself in intellectual circles and access the highest levels of Athenian political society through her relationship with Pericles.
Key Achievements
- Established herself as a respected teacher of rhetoric and philosophy in 5th-century Athens
- Became the longtime partner of Pericles and bore him a son who later became an Athenian general
- Influenced major philosophical and political figures including potentially Socrates and Plato
- Survived and navigated the complex political landscape of Athens during the Peloponnesian War period
- Became one of the most documented women in ancient Greek history despite social restrictions on female participation in public life
Did You Know?
- 01.She was allegedly accused of impiety by Hermippus, possibly as a political attack on Pericles during the lead-up to the Peloponnesian War
- 02.Ancient sources credit her with teaching rhetoric to Socrates, suggesting she was considered an intellectual equal to the great philosopher
- 03.The comic playwright Aristophanes blamed her for causing the Peloponnesian War by convincing Pericles to take military action
- 04.Her son Pericles the Younger was initially excluded from Athenian citizenship due to Pericles's own citizenship law, but was later granted citizenship after his legitimate sons died
- 05.She may have operated a salon where Athenian intellectuals gathered to discuss philosophy and politics, similar to later European intellectual salons