The state was also involved in encouraging the oldest profession in ancient Rome, where workers were obliged to register themselves with the Aedile and apply for a license to operate. Special tokens were used in brothels to prevent prostitutes from embezzling money, via University of Illinois In fact, there were even brothels set up by the state as a public good, to deter frisky youths from defiling the flower of the Athenian citizenry.
This all meant that, if a young, unmarried man wanted to have intercourse, he was faced with a choice between slaves or professional courtesans.
In addition, free women were expected to guard their chastity closely until married. In Athens, for example, adultery was strictly punishable by law, sometimes in a very gruesome way. In contrast to the openness with which the oldest profession was acknowledged in the ancient world, other types of sexuality could be restricted and closely regulated. There Was A Reason That It Was So Prominent Expectations of Greek women were very different based on their social class and status, via Elmira College Rather than going out to a brothel to employ the services of a professional, the elite, wealthy upper-classes were known to purchase their own personal love slaves. This distinction, however, took on new and disturbing meaning in Roman society. The situation for women was much the same in ancient Rome, where enslaved prostitutes were distinguished from free female concubines. In fact, it was rumored that the famous speech made by Athenian statesman Pericles had been drafted for him by his companion, Aspasia. It was not considered at all disreputable for even the most prominent statesman to employ the services of a ἑταιρη. These women, whose title literally meant ‘companion’, served more than just a physical purpose: they were often educated, skilled or erudite women who were paid as much for their company as for their bodies. Marble frieze showing a young man surrounded by hetaira, at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, via Center for Hellenic Studies, HarvardĪt the other end of the scale were the ἑταιραι ( hetaerae ), whom we would today consider escorts. On the one hand, it could refer to a professional, while on the other, it could be leveled at any woman who was living or sleeping with a man to whom she was not married. There was then the παλλᾰκίς ( pallakis ), or ‘concubine’, a term which could be used fairly broadly. Although technically free women, they were generally members of the lowest social class. On the next rung of the ladder were the independent workers who voluntarily sold themselves, advertising their services on the streets before leading any eager customers back to a house or private room. These courtesans were largely looked down upon by their society. These women were almost always slaves and often originated from foreign lands which made them, in the eyes of the Greek, barbarians. Please check your inbox to activate your subscription Thank you!Īt the bottom end of the Greek spectrum were the πόρναι ( pornai ), who were rented out by pimps and generally forced to give them most of their earnings. It Was A Complex System Ancient Greek red-figure vase showing two women engaged in sexual activity, via University of KansasĪs the wide range of terminology suggests, the oldest profession was a complex system in the ancient world, with a strict hierarchy of workers who had different degrees of autonomy and respect. Other types of workers could be identified by the places or ways in which they worked, and brothels were euphemistically known as οἰκίσκοι ( oikiskoi ), or ‘little houses’. Unsurprisingly, this is where the English word ‘pornography’ comes from. The most basic was termed a πόρνη ( porne ), which came from the verb πέρνημι ( pernemi ), meaning ‘to sell’. Similarly, the Greeks also had different names. The Roman language also had words for many different types of courtesans, such as meretrix, prostibula and scortum, as well as the act of employing courtesans, which was scortari.
Composed of the prefix pro (‘in front of’, ‘before’ or ‘on behalf of’) and the verb statuo (‘to set up’ or ‘erect’) prostituere can simply mean ‘to set before’ or ‘to place in front of’, but it is much more commonly used in the familiar sense: ‘to prostitute oneself’. The modern word is itself derived from the Latin term prostituere, which has multiple meanings. The prevalence of the oldest profession in the ancient world is demonstrated by the rich vocabulary of the classical languages when it comes to selling love. Even The Word Has Ancient Origins An uncomfortable-looking stone bed from an ancient Roman brothel, via The Ludwig von Mises Centre