Sex in Ancient Greece
Prostitution
Prostitution was considered a taxable occupation in the city of Athens. Prostitution was inspired by the example of the Lydians and, along with homosexuality, flourished in ancient Greece. This is possibly a reaction to the secluded life honorable women were subjected to at the time (Katz 73).
Brothel owners could legally purchase little girls who they then initiated and trained in the secrets of their future profession. Some of these girls became prostitutes even before reaching puberty. There were different types of prostitutes depending on social status, appearance, and experience.
Pornai were the lowest class prostitutes as they consisted largely of slaves brought to Greece from other places such as Thrace, Caria, or Egypt. Their facial characteristics and their attire were very provocative to the Greeks and these girls were advertised in inventive, unique ways. They wore sandals which would imprint on the ground as they walked leaving suggestive messages like “akolonthei” or “follow me”. They worked fee-for-service directly in the streets, chamai, or in cheap brothels, kineteria (Perrottet 77). Prices depended on the woman's physical appearance and sexual position employed.
Auletrides, known as “the flute-girls,” were prostitutes who were able to play aulos, lyre or harp. In Aristophanes’ comic play Wasps musical girls as well as boys would perform sexual acts in addition to music. Auletrides entertained drinking parties (called symposia) attended only by males.
The maximum price which could be paid to a flute-girl was set by Athenian law, as documented in Constitution of Athens written in the late fourth century. It is not clear if the price reflected the performance of musical act alone or included the sexual act as well. If more that one participant was interested in a flute-girl, a lottery would take place and the girl would go to the winner.
Hetairai represented the upper class prostitutes, the courtesans, and were called “female companions”. They were a symbol of emancipation for women (Katz 73). Their service was rewarded in gifts, favors and money paid per period of time rather than per sexual act. The price was comparatively higher because it included not only intercourse, but also intellectual entertainment and stimulation such as musical performances, dancing, and conversation. The highest paid hetairai were called megalomisthoi. (Perrottet 78) Hetairai kept a façade of respectability and had the freedom to choose to whom their sexual favors were sold. They were referred to as “women to whom love is a profession” (Achilles-Tatius 2.37.5.). In Letters of Courtesans, Alciphron (4.7.5-6) documents Thais’ opinion: “Do you think a sophic is any better than a courtesan? So far possibly… Yet, how much better and more religious are we! We do not say there are not gods; and we do not approve of men having intercourse with their sisters or their mothers or even with other men’s wives… We teach young men just as well as they do!” Their trade had “one noble end: pleasure” (Alciphron.4.7.8). Some of the hetairai worked only for money and favors (Alciphron.4.9.5); after all, they had to put money aside for old age (Aelian 10). Still, others fell in love.
Some fathers were bothered by the amorous adventures and spending of their sons and considered “gelding” as an alternative (Aelian 10). Despite their relative higher status, hetairai were still prostitutes as they belonged to a brothel owner and therefore could be sold at any time to one or more men if the price was enticing for the owner. Some hetairai declined, thus becoming pornai as they grew older and became less in demand. Hetairai could also leave if a man could buy the freedom of a woman he loved and married her. However, the father in law had the power to sell the woman if she did not share the work in the house (Aelian 19). In addition, hetairai could also buy their freedom on a conditional manumission (formal emancipation from slavery). In fact Delphi offered the highest number of manumissions as shown by the manumission inscriptions, representing the sale of the slave to Pythian Apollo by the slave owner. The lower status of women is reflected in the cost of manumission – about 1/5th less than that of a male slave. While the race of the slave did not play a role in the price, the occupation or the specific talent of the slave influenced the price. Entertainers and craftswomen had a higher price. The family relationships were taken into account, the strongest being mother-offspring (Tucker 225).
Male prostitution was part of the Greek life though it was not encouraged. Demosthenes says that male prostitutes were not allowed in temples, to make speeches, or to initiate official proceedings. (Keuls 297).
