Athenian aristocrat from the powerful Alcmaeonid family, daughter of Hippocrates and niece of the reformer Cleisthenes. Wife of Xanthippus, she was the mother of Pericles, the great statesman of classical Athens.
Agariste(600 av. J.-C. — 460 av. J.-C.)
Agariste
6 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Descended from the aristocratic Alcmaeonid family, one of the most influential in Athens
- Daughter of Hippocrates and niece (great-niece) of the reformer Cleisthenes, founder of Athenian democracy (around 508 BC)
- Wife of Xanthippus, an Athenian politician and general who was victorious at Mycale (479 BC)
- Mother of Pericles (born around 495 BC), a major figure of classical Athens
- According to Herodotus, she is said to have dreamed of giving birth to a lion shortly before Pericles was born
Works & Achievements
Her marriage to Xanthippus sealed the union of two great aristocratic Athenian families, strengthening the network of influence of the Alcmaeonids.
Agariste passed on to her children the prestige and political legitimacy of one of the most powerful families in Athens.
Mother of the future general who led Athens during its “golden age,” she played a part in the prestigious ancestry that legitimized his career.
She had another son, Ariphron, Pericles' elder brother, who bore the name of the paternal grandfather according to Greek custom.
Anecdotes
Agariste belonged to the Alcmaeonid family, an aristocratic lineage struck by a religious curse: their ancestors had massacred supporters of Cylon who had taken refuge in a sanctuary, which earned the family periodic accusations of “pollution” from its political opponents.
According to Herodotus, while she was pregnant with Pericles, Agariste dreamed that she gave birth to a lion. The Greeks interpreted dreams as omens, and this one foretold the birth of a powerful and exceptional man — which is exactly what Pericles became as he led Athens for decades.
Her uncle Cleisthenes was the great reformer who, around 508 BC, laid the foundations of Athenian democracy by reorganizing the citizens into tribes. Agariste thus grew up at the heart of the family that transformed the political system of Athens.
Her husband Xanthippus was one of the foremost Athenian military leaders: he commanded the Greek fleet at the Battle of Mycale in 479 BC, a decisive victory over the Persians. Agariste was therefore the wife of a hero of the Persian Wars and the mother of the future leader of Athens.
In ancient Athens, aristocratic women did not take part in public political life, but they passed on the prestige of their lineage. The marriage of Agariste, a descendant of the Alcmaeonids, to Xanthippus sealed an alliance between two great and influential families.
Primary Sources
The mother of Pericles, Agariste, a descendant of Cleisthenes the tyrant of Sicyon, had a vision in her sleep a few days before giving birth: it seemed to her that she brought forth a lion; and a few days later she gave birth to Pericles.
Pericles belonged to the tribe of Acamantis and the deme of Cholargus; on both his father's and his mother's side he came from the most illustrious families: his father Xanthippus defeated the King's generals at Mycale, and his mother Agariste was of the house of Cleisthenes.
This Hippocrates had a son, Cleisthenes, and a daughter, Agariste, who was named after the Agariste who was the daughter of Cleisthenes; Agariste, married to Xanthippus son of Ariphron, gave birth to Pericles.
Key Places
City-state where Agariste lived, birthplace of the democracy reformed by her uncle Cleisthenes and homeland of her son Pericles.
Central square of the city, heart of political life where ostracism votes and public debates were held, in which her husband Xanthippus took part.
Sacred hill overlooking the city, a religious center dedicated to Athena. Her son Pericles would later have the Parthenon built there.
City of the Peloponnese, home of Cleisthenes of Sicyon, the maternal ancestor from whom Agariste takes her first name and her family's prestige.
Promontory in Asia Minor where Xanthippus, Agariste's husband, commanded the victorious Greek fleet against the Persians in 479 BC.
Typical Objects
Long woolen robe worn by Greek women, draped and fastened at the shoulders with fibulae. The everyday garment of aristocratic Athenian women.
A pin brooch, often made of bronze or gold, used to fasten the folds of a garment at the shoulder. Among wealthy women, it was an elaborately crafted piece of jewelry.
A tall, slender vase used to carry the water for the nuptial bath. It lay at the heart of the marriage ritual for young Athenian women.
Tools for spinning wool. Working wool was the emblematic domestic occupation of the Athenian mistress of the house.
A disk of polished bronze fitted with a handle, used by women for their grooming. A luxury object in aristocratic households.
A fragment of pottery on which citizens wrote the name of the person they wished to exile. It was through this vote that Xanthippus, husband of Agariste, was banished in 484 BC.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Daily Life
Morning
As the mistress of an aristocratic household, Agariste began her day by organizing the domestic tasks and supervising the household slaves. The morning was devoted to managing the provisions and to wool-weaving, the emblematic occupation of the Athenian wife.
Afternoon
The afternoon was spent in the gynaeceum, the part of the house reserved for women, where she spun, wove, and saw to the education of the young children. Outings were rare and always chaperoned, for instance to attend religious festivals.
Evening
In the evening, when her husband received guests at a banquet (symposion), the women did not take part and kept apart. Agariste then made sure the meal ran smoothly and that the children were put to rest.
Food
The diet rested on the “Mediterranean triad”: barley or wheat bread, olive oil, and wine cut with water. To this were added vegetables, cheese, olives, figs, and, in wealthy households, fish; meat was reserved mainly for sacrifices.
Clothing
Agariste wore the peplos, a long woolen robe draped and fastened at the shoulders with fibulae, covered by a himation (cloak) when going out. Aristocratic women added gold jewelry, veils, and facial care.
Housing
She lived in a vast Athenian dwelling arranged around an inner courtyard, separating the andron (the men's space) from the gynaeceum (the women's space). The walls were of mud brick and the floor of beaten earth, and comfort remained modest even among the wealthy.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Alliance matrimoniale des Alcméonides
fin du VIe siècle av. J.-C.
Transmission de la lignée des Alcméonides
Ve siècle av. J.-C.
Naissance et éducation de Périclès
~495 av. J.-C.
Naissance d'Ariphron
fin du VIe siècle av. J.-C.
