Character Catalog

Aspasia ran a school of rhetoric and practical philosophy in Athens, attended by politicians, philosophers, and their wives. Cicero and Plato acknowledge her as Pericles' teacher in oratory, making her one of the first women recognized as a philosophy teacher in Western history.

In the Menexenus, Plato attributes to Aspasia the authorship of the famous funeral speech that Pericles allegedly delivered in honor of fallen soldiers. Even if the exact authorship is debated, this text bears witness to the ancient tradition acknowledging Aspasia's rhetorical skills at the highest level.

The orator and philosopher Aeschines of Sphettus, a disciple of Socrates, wrote a dialogue entitled 'Aspasia' in which he described her teaching methods through questioning. Cicero quotes excerpts showing Aspasia using a proto-maieutic technique to guide her interlocutors.

Plutarch and several ancient sources attribute to Aspasia a decisive influence on Pericles' foreign policy, particularly during the Samian War. Though not quantifiable, this intellectual influence constitutes a real contribution to the political history of classical Athens.

Socrates said: 'I will send you to Aspasia, who will explain this better than I can.' He himself frequented her home with his disciples and consulted her on matters of education and virtue.

Socrates: 'I heard Aspasia composing a funeral oration yesterday [...] She reminded me that it was she who had taught rhetoric to Pericles, whom she considered far superior to all other orators.'

Pericles loved Aspasia with extraordinary tenderness [...] Every day, upon leaving and returning home, he would greet her and embrace her. Philosophers would visit her and bring their wives to hear her.

Aspasia, in a dialogue attributed to her by Aeschines the Socratic, skillfully questions a woman and her husband in turn, leading them to acknowledge what is truly good in their shared life.

It is reported that Aspasia of Miletus gained such a reputation in philosophy and rhetoric that the greatest men of Athens sought her company and submitted their speeches to her.

Greek city of Asia Minor where Aspasia was born around 469 BC. Miletus was a major Ionian intellectual center, birthplace of philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, which partly explains Aspasia's high level of culture.

Residential district of Athens where Aspasia settled with Pericles around 445 BC and where she held her school of rhetoric. It was there that Socrates, Phidias, Herodotus, and other great minds came to take part in her discussions.

The central public square of Athens, the political, commercial, and intellectual heart of the city. Aspasia could not intervene there officially as a foreign woman, but her influence was felt indirectly through the speeches of Pericles and the conversations of Socrates.

The sacred hill where the Parthenon was erected under the direction of Phidias, a friend of Aspasia. Pericles and Aspasia were both accused by their enemies of having desecrated this holy site — Phidias through the temple's ornamentation, Aspasia through her impious words.

The principal popular court of Athens where Aspasia's trial for impiety was held around 432 BC. It was before this court that Pericles took the floor to defend her in tears — a remarkable fact for a statesman renowned for his impassiveness.

The main writing medium in ancient Greece, used to preserve and transmit philosophical and literary texts. Aspasia, recognized for her exceptional erudition, necessarily had access to these scrolls and used them in her teaching of rhetoric.

The central piece of furniture at the Greek symposion where guests reclined to debate, philosophize, and be entertained. Aspasia presided over mixed-gender symposia — an extremely rare occurrence in Athens — where philosophers, artists, and politicians came to hear her.

A small wooden or ivory tablet coated with wax, on which one wrote with a stylus to jot down ideas or draft speeches. Essential for anyone teaching rhetoric, as Aspasia did.

A large piece of draped wool forming the classical Greek female dress. As a high-ranking hetaira, Aspasia likely wore quality fabrics and refined drapery, distinctive of her particular social standing.

A flask containing the perfumed oil used for body care and rituals. An everyday object of Greek women and a symbol of attention to appearance, important for a hetaira like Aspasia whose status also rested on her elegance.

A low two-handled cup used for drinking wine mixed with water at symposia. Aspasia presided over these intellectual gatherings where the kylix passed from guest to guest, accompanying philosophical debates.

A perfume burner used in religious ceremonies and daily life to honor the gods. Aspasia was notably accused of impiety (asebeia), which makes objects of domestic worship particularly significant in her story.