Aspasia

Around the time of fifth century B.C.E. a well-known and controversial woman came into the spotlight. She was well educated and could keep conversation with almost everyone she met. Unlike other Athenian women of that time, she was not kept out of most parts of public life but rather welcomed in some measure. She had great wisdom and beauty. Her name was Aspasia - a lover and companion to the statesman and leader of Athens, Pericles. She was very different from women of that time. Given the position women normally played in the fifth century B.C.E., Aspasia's position in society was astonishing.

As stated earlier, most women in Athens in the fifth century were excluded from most parts of public life. They were not allowed to take part in most political events. The Athenian women had one exception in which they were allowed to partake in public events: the several different state religion festivals. Otherwise, women were kept out of public events. When at home or in private events, the women were usually being watched and under control of the men. Women did not have much say in their own life. Marriages were arranged, and the woman was usually still young when this was done. Women could get a divorce, though, but with several regulations. A woman’s chief purpose was to provide a male son who would serve as the heir to the family and carry on the family name. According to The Western Heritage, “Respectable women stayed home to raise the children, cook, weave cloth, and oversee the management of the household …. Athenian women were expected to remain at home out of sight, quiet, and unnoticed.” Pericles himself told several women, “...the greatest glory of women is to be least talked about by men, whether for good o...

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... attacked by many, for her scandalous and influential relationship with Pericles, her charm and sexual appeal, and her engagement in public and political events. However, no one can deny the fact that given the position women normally played in her time, Aspasia's position in society was astonishing.

Works Cited

Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage. 10th ed. Vol. 1. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2010.

"Aspasia - C.469 BC - Unknown." The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization. Accessed November 24, 2013. http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/characters/f_aspasia.html.

"Aspasia (c. 470 B.C.-c. 410 B.C.)." In Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit, MI: Cengage Learning, 1998.

"Aspasia of Miletus." Encyclopedia Romania. Accessed November 24, 2013. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/hetairai/aspasia.html.