She had an impact on Pericles both with her femininity and her intellect. The fact that Aspasia was able to talk freely with men was very strange to the Athenians.
She is known to be a beautiful and intelligent woman; It is believed that her father initiated her into prostitution, but unlike the Pornailer (women marketed to poor, vulgar men), Aspasia of Miletus had a great intellectual education. That's why she decides to become part of the heteros or hetairas (cultured women respected for their wisdom).
Although Aspasia's name is mentioned in the works of writers such as Plato or Aristophanes, the data about her life are not sufficient. Aspasia had a strong influence on the political and cultural life of Athens, especially as a result of her relationship with Pericles.
When Aspasia moved to Athens, she began running a brothel, visited by men from the city's most prominent circles: its visitors included Socrates, Anaxagoras, and the Governor of Pericles. It is said that the governor fell in love with her and left his official wife for her.
These actions caused all eyes to be turned double by the comedians of that time, and in the end, Aspasia of Miletus was the subject of ridicule. The poet Hemippus compelled her to appear in court on charges of two counts: impiety and immorality. However, Pericles helped avoid conviction by getting the judges to pardon her.
To be a woman in ancient Greece meant to be part of someone, to be someone's property; The more courage a man had, the more women he had the right to have. In other words, women were seen as a kind of "reward" or recognition of man's masculinity.
Details
He was born in Miletos (5th century BC). She settled in Athens between 449 and 445 BC. She started living with the Athenian statesman Pericles. She had a son, whom they named Pericles, between about 445-440 BC. According to the citizenship law enacted by Pericles in 451-450 BC, those whose parents were not Athenian citizens could not be considered citizens. For this reason, their son Pericles, who could not be a citizen for a long time, was granted citizenship with a special law enacted later.
Aspasia attracted attention in the social life of Athens; She lived in a circle of artists, philosophers, and statesmen such as Socrates, Alcibiades, Pheidias, and Pericles.
His private life and influence on the public became the subject of comedies. The poet Hermippus accused her of godlessness and prostitution. This accusation was largely due to her relaxed behavior in public. Impressed by this situation, Pericles had difficulty acquitting his wife. Her contemporaries write that she had a very strong political influence on Pericles. There were widespread accusations among the people that she had forced Pericles to attack Miletus' old enemy, the Island of Samos, and incited him to war with Sparta. Only the Socratic philosophers positively commemorated her memory. She married a second time after Pericles' death in 429 BC. She died in Athens.