In ancient Greece, if a woman showed up to dinner she was presumed to be a female escort, or as they were called at the time, a courtesan. Normally, any respectable Greek woman would be found in her chambers. However, a courtesan had a greater freedom, but one that came at a heavy price. Unlike today's female escorts, ancient Greek courtesans did not have much choice about who they slept with. They couldn't marry a citizen, and after she turned 20-years-old she didn't have much of a career.

Aspasia - the most Beautiful and Intelligent of Athens' Courtesans

Aspasia, as the most famous woman and courtesan of ancient Athens, was different. Aspasia was also the close companion of Pericles, Athens' great democratic statesman. Like all courtesans at the time, Pericles was not permitted to marry Aspasia. However, in every other way she was his partner, and in her own right, an important Athenian.

Aspasia held lavish dinner parties and entertained the powerful male elite of Athens. The wives were not invited, and the only other women at these parties were courtesans. As a result, her house became a fashionable place to unwind. Her home was also a meeting place for the city's intellectuals, attracting the most prominent writers and thinkers, including the Greek philosopher Socrates.

Soon after meeting Aspasia, Pericles immediately moved in with her. Pericles may have divorced his wife to make this arrangement possible. His attraction was not only due to her incredible beauty, but also because of her intelligence and skills in writing and speech. She was also believed to have great political influence.

Pericles and Aspasia

In every context, Pericles loved Aspasia and treated her as an equal rather than his mistress, which was not only inappropriate considering Pericles' standing, but also unheard of at the time. He was often criticized for this relationship and his obvious reliance on her help and judgment. The rule was women had no part in Athens' public life, and the only place for a courtesan was either in a man's bed or at the dinner table, not in politics.

However, the passion of their love caused Pericles to openly mock these conventions. The Greek biographer and historian Plutarch commented that Pericles was so in love with Aspasia, that he would kiss her when he left in the morning and kissed her again when he returned at night. Apparently, this was a very unusual.

The Influence of an Escort Girl

The gossip that surrounded the pair was always popular and especially vicious. They and their son, also named Pericles, were often ridiculed. Many Athenians felt she had too much influence on Pericles, to the point where they blame her for the war with Sparta (Peloponnesian War).

The philosopher Socrates and Aspasia often spent time together conversing and possibly ended up influencing each other. Although Socrates never wrote down his teachings, his students did, among them the popular and immensely influential Plato. Because of her significant contribution to Pericles' oratory work and her great influence, Plato would later joke that Aspasia actually wrote Pericles' famous funeral oration.

Both Aspasia and Pericles were intellectually curious and were always on the cutting edge of philosophy, art, architecture and politics. With her help and support, Pericles was responsible for many great building projects which include most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis, including the Parthenon. They stayed together for almost twenty years, until Pericles' death from the plague in 429 BCE.

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