Ordinary Women and Exceptional Women in Classical Greece

Abstract

This paper aims to give a general overview of the place occupied by women in ancient Greek society, looking in particular at those who stood out from the majority because they had a different place: the Pythagoreans, common prostitutes (pornai), luxury prostitutes (hetairai) and priestesses. The contradiction regarding the role of women, expressed from mythology to philosophical reflections, leads us, in a second moment, to Plato's work and, more specifically, to two women to whom the thinker gave a privileged voice: Aspasia and Diotima.