16. Aspasia of Athens
You know you have made your mark on history when your name is tied to those of Plato, Aristophanes, and Pericles. Aspasia of Athens did just that. The early parts of her life is shrouded in mystery. We know one thing for sure and that is her ties to Athens did not come until later in life. Aspasia immigrated to Athens as an adult, though the reason why is unclear. According to ancient authors, upon her arrival to the city, she trained to become a hetaera, a specific type of courtesan. The hetaera was high-class “entertainers” for the elite of ancient society. They learned information that helped them keep up intellectually with their clientele. Aspasia is alleged to be so skilled that she worked her way up to owning and running her own brothel.
Aspasia met Pericles in 445 BC and became his constant companion. The politician fell so in love with her that he divorced his first wife. The couple had a son together, though they remained unmarried due to Aspasia’s immigration status. As his confidant, Aspasia held influence over his decisions, including those of a political nature. Some in Athenian society did not like the idea of a woman having any sort of control over a man. Both she and Pericles suffered political and legal attacks from many sides, some even blaming her for the outbreak of war. Some scholars theorize that these criticisms, as well as rumors of her running a brothel, may be inaccurate. Whatever the truth is, her influence is something important enough to be documented by the greatest writers of the ancient world.