Agariste

Noblewoman

Born: c. 590 b. c.e.; place unknown Died: c. 500 b. c.e.; place unknown Category: Government and politics; women

Life The only details known about the life of Agariste (ag-uh-RIS-teh) concern her wedding to Megacles of Athens. When she reached marriageable age, her father, Cleisthenes, tyrant of Sicyon (Sikyon), conducted a yearlong contest to determine who would marry her. Thirteen suitors, the best men of Greece, competed both in the gymnasium and in discussions at dinner until Cleisthenes made his decision. At the end of the year, he threw a banquet, at which he intended to announce his choice of Hippocleides of Athens. As the night wore on, Hippocleides had too much to drink, until he began dancing on a table. Each dance became more outrageous until he stood on his head and rhythmically flailed his legs in the air. At this point, Cleisthenes told Hippocleides that he had danced away his marriage. His response became an Athenian proverb: “It’s all the same to Hippocleides.” Agariste and Megacles were then married according to the Athenian rites.

The story illustrates the political function of aristocratic marriage in the Archaic period, to foster alliances with important families in other cities. It also contains the earliest historical description of the Athenian marriage rite. Agariste’s interest in the proceedings is never mentioned, as her most important functions were to unite the two families through marriage and to bear children for her husband.

Influence Agariste’s primary influence was in the birth of her children, one of whom was Cleisthenes of Athens, a statesman famous for his democratic reforms. Her name became a popular one among her descendants, and her granddaughter Agariste was the mother of Pericles.

Further Reading

Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Lightman, Marjorie, and Benjamin Lightman. Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Greek and Roman Women: Notable Women from Sappho to Helena. New York: Facts On File, 2000.

Robert Rousselle

See also: Cleisthenes of Athens; Cleisthenes of Sicyon; Daily Life and Customs; Women’s Life.