Wonder Woman of the Week: Aspasia of Miletus

I had a bit of an Odyssey last night in Vancouver, and I was not able to share the Wonder Woman this week (Holy Hephaestus!). Hopefully this week’s badass woman can make up for that. She comes from the age of the Amazons, put Athenian orators to shame, and had the entire Classical World giving her praise. Modern day Greece could take a lesson from this ancient Turk. Aspasia of Miletus is the Wonder Woman of the Week.

Ancient Athens is heralded as the founder of modern democracy- however it was anything but. Only wealthy, land-owning, naturalized Athenians had any say in government. And Athens was not unique. There’s a reason lady Olympians mostly derived from Sparta because very few women in the Greek World were given the right to an education. Aspasia was born in a Greek colony on the western coast of what is today Turkey (then called Ionia). Her father insisted she be educated, so Aspasia’s mother and servants taught her everything they could. When Aspasia became a young women, she left her family’s home in Ionia and moved to Athens- a bold move for even a young man in her day. [1]

Aspasia fell in love with a Greek aristocrat- or most likely the other way around, depending on the source. In Athens, people like Aspasia- those not of Athenian birth- were called metiks meaning resident alien. As a metik, neither Aspasia nor her children would ever have full citizenship. That didn’t stop Aspasia’s lover Perakles from being with her. It was illegal for them to marry, but Perakles divorced his Athenian wife to be with Aspasia and the two started a family. Aspasia’s influence reached beyond the household however, and Perakles’ career was strongly influenced by his illegal lover. [2]

As a metik, Aspasia was hated by many Athenians of her day. Aspasia may not have even been her real name, with allegations that it was a false name, commonly used by prostitutes. Different accounts- depending mostly by the place of birth of the historian- cite her as a teacher, intellectual, writer, solon owner, and prostitute. Madelein Henry wrote that Aspasia became whatever a particular historian needed her to be. Some historians noted her as an intellection on par with Athenian male orators. Others cite her as a “proto-feminist.” Many of her lover Perakles’ speeches are now attributed to Aspasia and may have even been a major influence on Sokrates’ Inductio. She gave marriage advise to the famous Xenophon, ran her own salon/brothel (again, depends on the source) and after the death of Perakles; is said to have aided Lysikles in his political career. [3]

Aspasia is the perfect example of why it is important to cross-reference sources. From the viewpoint of Athenian citizens, Aspasia was a “whore” and an illegal alien who overstepped her boundaries to influence the politics of a city-state she did not belong in. From pretty much everybody else’s viewpoint, Aspasia was a well educated, powerful public speaking, beautiful and friends woman. She was powerful, controversial, and influential. Regardless of the viewpoint, Aspasia was an impressive woman- especially for her age. For that, Aspasia could impress any contemporary feminist.

“The Greeks – Aspasia of Miletus.” PBS.org. Accessed 2 July 2015. http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/characters/aspasia_p2.html

“Aspasia of Miletus.” University of Chicago. Accessed 2 July 2015. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/hetairai/aspasia.html

Mark, Joshua J. “Aspasia of Miletus.” 2 Sept. 2009. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Accessed 2 July 2015. http://www.ancient.eu/Aspasia_of_Miletus/