Prostitutes and Courtesans in the Ancient World

Oxbow says: This collection of fourteen studies on the subject of prostitutes and courtesans covers a great deal of ancient history from ancient Mesopotamia to the early Christian period. First delivered as papers at a conference held in Madison-Wisconsin in 2002, the contributors approach the subject from a number of perspectives and use a range of different source material, from poetry and legal documents to graffiti. The essays themselves raise a series of questions surrounding the place of prostitutes within society, including those of a moral and legal nature. Despite their social marginalisation, prostitutes are found on the streets, the stage, at banquets and in the law courts. These studies not only consider how prostitutes figured in everyday life, but also explore their relationship with religion, asking whether sacred or cultic prostitution existed, with political and politicians, as well as their presence as characters in comedy and other public performance. Ambiguities of terminology, how prostitutes were differentiated from promiscuous or adulterous women, and how references to prostitutes in ancient sources are to be interpreted, are also raised.