Aspasia - Aspasia (English spelling)

Date of birth and death unknown. A courtesan born in Miletus who was favored by Pericles, she was the most famous woman in Greece in the 5th century BC. Pericles already had two children, but divorced his wife. Although marriage to a foreign woman was not officially recognized by law, he lived with her for the rest of his life from around 445 BC and gave birth to a boy (Pericles the Younger). Later, when he lost his two legitimate children, he broke his own law and made this child his legitimate son. Compared to the goddess Hera, she was intelligent and beautiful, and she also had relationships with notable people of the time, such as Socrates, who frequented Pericles' circle. However, in Athens, where women had a low status, such actions were intertwined with the political anti-Pericles movement and caused a lot of resentment among the citizens. After the death of Pericles (429 BC), she married the democratic leader Lysicles, and after Pericles' murder (428 BC), she spent the rest of her life in Athens.

[Hidenobu Mashita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。ペリクレスの寵愛(ちょうあい)を受けたミレトス生まれの遊女で、紀元前5世紀ギリシアのもっとも有名な女性。ペリクレスはすでに2人の子があったが、正妻と離婚、法律上外国女性との結婚は正式には認められていなかったが、前445年ごろより生涯彼女と同棲(どうせい)し、男の子（小ペリクレス）を得た。のちに2人の嫡子を失うと、彼は自ら定めた法を破り、この1子を嫡子とした。女神ヘラに比せられた才色兼備の彼女は、ペリクレス周辺に出入りしたソクラテスなど当時の名士とも交際した。しかし、女性の地位の低かったアテネでは、こうした行動は政治的な反ペリクレスの動きと絡み、さまざまな反感を市民の間に引き起こしたらしい。ペリクレスの死（前429）後、民衆派の指導者リシクレスと結婚、彼が殺害された（前428）のちもアテネで余生を過ごした。

［真下英信］

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