How Was Aspasia Influential?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Aspasia of Miletus was a scholar and philosopher whose

intellectual influence distinguished her in Athenian culture

, which treated women as second-class citizens during the 5th century B.C.E. … She established an academic center for the exchange of ideas, which served as a school for elite young women in Athens.

Who did Aspasia influence?

Prior to Pericles’ death, Aspasia had helped transform

Lysicles

into an Athenian political leader and general. Lysicles was killed in action in the Peloponnesian War’s campaign in Caria of 428/427 BCE, and nothing else is known of Aspasia after that with any certainty, not even the exact year of her death.

How did Aspasia influence Pericles?

Aspasia was continually made the object of

public attacks

—particularly from the comedic stage—criticizing her private life and public influence. She was irresponsibly accused of urging Pericles to crush the island of Samos, Miletus’ old rival, and to provoke war with Sparta.

What did Aspasia teach?

‘ And according to the tradition, Aspasia was such a compellingly persuasive speaker that she taught both

Pericles the great military general

, and Socrates the great philosopher, how to speak persuasively, and how to win others over.

Who was the most influential ancient Greek?

  • Archimedes.
  • Leonidas I. …
  • Herodotus. …
  • Democritus. …
  • Solon. …
  • Phidias. …
  • Thales of Miletus. …
  • Hippocrates of Cos. Hippocrates of Cos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles (Classical Athens), and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. …

What was unique about Aspasia?

In social circles, Aspasia was noted for

her ability as a conversationalist and adviser rather than merely an object of physical beauty

. Plutarch writes that despite her immoral life, friends of Socrates brought their wives to hear her converse.

Did Socrates know Pericles?

Socrates recounts events that happened long after his death. This anachronism serves to link Pericles to the course of the war after his death.

Socrates even speaks of Pericles at one point

as if he were still alive (235e,)19 yet Pericles had died some thirty years earlier.

What does Aspasia mean in Greek?

Origin:Greek. Popularity:11599. Meaning:

welcome, invite

.

Who killed Pericles?

The cause of

the plague of Athens

in 430BC, which devastated the city and killed up to one-third of the population, including its leader, Pericles, was typhoid fever, scientists believe.

Who taught Aristotle?

Who were Aristotle’s teachers and students? Aristotle’s most famous teacher was

Plato

(c. 428–c. 348 BCE), who himself had been a student of Socrates (c.

Who is the most famous person in ancient history?

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Julius Caesar

(102/100–44 BCE) may have been the greatest man of all times.

Were there celebrities in ancient times?

In ancient times,

philosophers, religious leaders, soldiers and statesmen, and even some slaves

attained the level of fame connected with celebrity. Often it was fleeting. Celebrity meant constant attention, and in ancient times the attention of the government was often not welcome.

Who was the smartest person in ancient Greece?

His reputation as a philosopher, literally meaning ‘a lover of wisdom’, soon spread all over Athens and beyond. When told that the Oracle of Delphi had revealed to one of his friends that

Socrates

was the wisest man in Athens, he responded not by boasting or celebrating, but by trying to prove the Oracle wrong.

Is it true that Sparta suffered from a plague during the war?

In 430 BC, a plague struck the city of Athens, which was then under siege by Sparta during the

Peloponnesian War

Who is Socrates philosophy?

Socrates was

an ancient Greek philosopher

, one of the three greatest figures of the ancient period

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.