Aspasia of Miletus: biography of the beautiful hetaira

Aspasia of Miletus was a Greek woman who lived in the 5th century BC. The name Aspasia means “the beautiful welcome.” She was born in Miletus, as were some of the early Greek philosophers such as: Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. At the age of 20, she left her hometown and moved to Athens.

It’s known that She was a beautiful and intelligent woman; It is believed that it was her father who introduced her to prostitution, but unlike the pornai (prostitutes intended for vulgar men without wealth), Aspasia of Miletus He had a great intellectual training, therefore, he became part of the heteras or hetairas (women of great culture, highly respected for their wisdom).

The data about Aspasia’s life are somewhat uncertain, although it appears his name in works by authors such as Plato or Aristophanes. Aspasia had a strong influence on the political and cultural life of Athens, especially as a consequence of her relationship with Pericles.

The name of Aspasia not only appears in ancient texts, but also in modern works, especially as an inspiration for some 19th century romantic authors.. It is difficult to trace his biography, as most of the things we know are based on assumption. Even so, we invite you to discover the importance of this woman from Ancient Greece.

Life of Aspasia of Miletus

When Aspasia moved to Athens, she began running a brothel, that it was visited by men from the most important circles of the city; Among its visitors were: Socrates, Anaxagoras and the governor Pericles. Of the latter, it is said that he fell in love with her and made her his mistress, abandoning his legitimate wife for her.

This act caused, in many comedians of the time, the pointing out towards the couple and, as a consequence, Aspasia of Miletus was a victim of ridicule. The poet Hemipus forced her to appear in front of justice under double accusation: impiety and debauchery. But Pericles helped her so that she would not be condemned, obtaining forgiveness from her judges.

From the union of Aspasia and Pericles, Pericles II was born, of whom it is said that Aspasia In addition to being his mother, she was a teacher.. When she was widowed, she married Lysicles, it is said that, from this marriage, Poristes was born.

Being a woman in Greece

Several contemporary authors cited it in their texts, There were those who judged her by her profession and others who remembered her for her beauty, her intelligence and her skill in the arts of the word. Aspasia of Miletus was a very important woman in ancient times, But under what conditions did I achieve this recognition?

The first thing to answer is what life was like for Greek women. The truth is that there were many obstacles for women and they encountered numerous restrictions and prohibitions in the polis. Women had no civil rights. Their tasks were limited to taking care of the house and educating their children. They were excluded from public life and only left their homes to attend large parties. It is possible that, in Miletus, the situation was somewhat different and they enjoyed more freedom than in Athens.
Being a woman meant being part of someone., to be someone’s possession; The more courage the man possessed, the more women he had the right to have, that is, they were seen as a kind of “prize” or recognition for the man.

The labels of Aspasia of Miletus

In addition to being a woman, Aspasia had to live with another label: being a foreigner. For the Athenians, the foreigners They could not, like women, participate in city decisions. Our protagonist brings together in her person both conditions, two forms of otherness in a society based on the predominance of men. However, in the case of Aspasia, Thanks to her status as a foreigner, she had a different educational background than that of the Athenian women.grew up with greater freedom and culture.

Aspasia of Miletus, despite being a woman and a foreigner, did not stick to the tasks assigned to her, but rather developed some of the tasks associated with men.. Historian Eva Cantarella points out that, in Greece at the time, men could have three types of women: wife (offspring), concubine (sexual relations) and hetaira (obtaining pleasure).

In this way, Aspasia of Miletus carried one more label: that of hetaira. But, despite what one might think, this label was not negative, but rather the hetairas were the only truly free women. They could go out, they participated in banquets alongside men, they even “received at home” if they were lucky enough to be supported by a powerful man. They were the exception to the conditions towards women in Athens and had a very marked difference from the legitimate wives of men.

The hetairas, in terms of training, were far above married women, which is why politicians and philosophers considered them good interlocutors. Aspasia of Miletus was special among courtesans, as she had the trust of many intellectuals and important men.

This work cost him a lot of criticism, but thanks to it He rubbed shoulders with the most important men of the timeFor example, Socrates, who frequented her services and recommended his disciples study with her.

A great speaker

The hetairas were deeply schooled in rhetoric or oratory and Aspasia was no exception. It is said that Socrates was fascinated by his intelligence.. Her figure was able to draw Plato’s attention to the capacity of women, when they were educated outside the narrow limits that Athenian instruction had provided for them.

Thanks to this ability, He obtained some recognition and conquered the governor Pericles, who felt not only eroticism for her, but also love. It is said that he left his legitimate wife and made Aspasia his illegitimate wife or concubine due to her foreign status.

The comedians of the time, like Aristophanes, critically pointed out that it was Aspasia who wrote Pericles’ speeches and that she influenced her husband’s politics. For example, in a battle between Miletus and Samos, the Ionian city received preference.

After the death of Pericles, She then took the cattle dealer Lysicles as her lover., a vulgar man who, thanks to her, managed to play an important political role in Athens for some time. Demonstrating, thus, his ability in political relations and his influence to achieve power with the word.

What do we know about his speeches?

Study the role of women in Ancient Greece means facing the absence of textual evidence for their work. For this reason, we must trace the history of their lives, almost always immersed in testimonies related to other thinkers and, sometimes, of dubious reliability.

In a sample of his rhetorical speech, he asks Xenophon and Philesia if they would prefer their neighbors’ husbands if they were better than their partner. When neither answers, she responds, “If you both want to have the best husband and the best wife, you both want to be the best husband and the best wife, respectively.”

Here the desire to please with words is clearly noticeable. This rhetorical composition is not an argument that expresses logical truth, but it is a speech that pleases the ear and invites effort in the couple’s coexistence. Something similar happens with the Funeral Speech of Pericles, which was presented for people close to those killed in battle, and Aspasia confuses uniting virtuous things with real things without virtue.

feminist figure

Aspasia of Miletus was one of the most emblematic characters of Greece in the 5th century BC., whose characteristics did not fit the traditional role of women who in Athens were considered a “good” and “honest” wife. The woman’s only role was to be the shadow of her husband and go unnoticed. Her image contrasted with that of most Athenian women in the second half of the 5th century BC. c.

Aspasia was a leading figure in the cultural sphere of democracy in Athens, It played a fundamental role in the birth of women’s emancipation. With her lessons to the new young Athenian girls, she led to the future intervention of these women in the public life of the city, as well as through her speeches, in which she vindicated, in a discreet way, the dignity of women.

This allows us to perceive, for the first time, the feminine in history, making Aspasia of Miletus the main representative of another way of interpreting the Athens of Periclesshowing that there was space for women.

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