Hipparete
Encyclopedia
Hipparete was the daughter of Hipponicus III
, a wealthy Athenian. She was married circa 424 BC
or earlier to the prominent Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades
.
, who is however criticized for using "implausible or unreliable stories" in order to construct Alcibiades' portrait, Alcibiades "gave a box on the ear to Hipponicus, whose birth and wealth made him a person of great influence." This action received much disapproval, since it was "unprovoked by any passion of quarrel between them". To smooth the incident over, Alcibiades went to Hipponicus's house and, after stripping naked, "desired him to scourge and chastise him as he pleased". Hipponicus not only pardoned him but also bestowed upon him the hand of his daughter.
According to another version of thes story also exposed by Plutarch, it was not Hipponicus, but Callias
, his son, who gave Hipparete to Alcibiades, with a dowry of ten talents; "and that afterwards, when she became a mother, Alcibiades exacted another ten talents besides, on the plea that this was the agreement, should children be born. And Callias was so afraid of the scheming of Alcibiades to get his wealth, that he made public proffer to the people of his property and house in case it should befall him to die without lineal heirs."
According to Plutarch, Hipparete loved her husband, but she once attempted to divorce him, because Alcibiades consorted with courtesan
s. According to Plutarch, on her appearing publicly to support her plea for divorce to the magistrate, as the law required, "Alcibiades came up and seized her and carried her off home with him through the market place, no man daring to oppose him or take her from him". She lived with him until her death and gave birth to probably two children, a daughter and a son, also named Alcibiades.
Hipponicus
Hipponicus was an Athenian military commander and son of Callias II and father of Callias III and Hipparete, who later married Alcibiades. Together with Eurymedon he commanded the Athenian forces in the incursion into Boeotian territory and was slain at the Battle of Delium ....
, a wealthy Athenian. She was married circa 424 BC
424 BC
Year 424 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Crassus, Fidenas, Rutilus and Iullus...
or earlier to the prominent Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades
Alcibiades
Alcibiades, son of Clinias, from the deme of Scambonidae , was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War...
.
Background
According to PlutarchPlutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, who is however criticized for using "implausible or unreliable stories" in order to construct Alcibiades' portrait, Alcibiades "gave a box on the ear to Hipponicus, whose birth and wealth made him a person of great influence." This action received much disapproval, since it was "unprovoked by any passion of quarrel between them". To smooth the incident over, Alcibiades went to Hipponicus's house and, after stripping naked, "desired him to scourge and chastise him as he pleased". Hipponicus not only pardoned him but also bestowed upon him the hand of his daughter.
According to another version of thes story also exposed by Plutarch, it was not Hipponicus, but Callias
Callias III
Callias , son of Hipponicus by the former wife of Pericles, an Alcmaeonid and the third member of one of the most distinguished Athenian families to bear the name of Callias...
, his son, who gave Hipparete to Alcibiades, with a dowry of ten talents; "and that afterwards, when she became a mother, Alcibiades exacted another ten talents besides, on the plea that this was the agreement, should children be born. And Callias was so afraid of the scheming of Alcibiades to get his wealth, that he made public proffer to the people of his property and house in case it should befall him to die without lineal heirs."
According to Plutarch, Hipparete loved her husband, but she once attempted to divorce him, because Alcibiades consorted with courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
s. According to Plutarch, on her appearing publicly to support her plea for divorce to the magistrate, as the law required, "Alcibiades came up and seized her and carried her off home with him through the market place, no man daring to oppose him or take her from him". She lived with him until her death and gave birth to probably two children, a daughter and a son, also named Alcibiades.