Prostitution: The Appetites of Athenian Men in the Classical Period

Abstract

Prostitution is not regarded as an attractive and worthy vocation for respectable women. It involves a great deal of pretence, at a great emotional expense to the practitioners and it also exposes women to social ills and dangers. In antiquity for instance, Athenian prostitutes worked in demeaning anatomical conditions, and they could be compelled to capitulate to the specific demands of their clients. Yet, from the time of Solon, in the 6th Century BC, women engaged in prostitution, in spite of the contempt that profession was held, and societal ostracization to which they were subjected though men were not penalized or sanctioned for their involvement in the oldest profession on earth or their patronage of prostitutes. In other words, prostitution guaranteed the security of wives from other men who could seek sexual release from those women. The perceived role of the prostitute as some kind of societal safety valve, and as a requirement for the maintenance of a serene home environment were there to provide services one would not ask of a wife. Prostitutes were held in ignominy then just as the lifestyle is abhorred today (Johnson & Ryan, 2005: 88-89).