De Gruyter (2017) h/b 501pp £63.99 (ISBN 9781107151574)
This extremely scholarly, yet very readable, volume has been distilled from just part of K.’s 20 years of research into the topic of prostitution in the ancient world. He explains that he has focused on ancient Greece in order to produce a book that is manageable, but his arguments are very well supported by a rich variety of primary sources from the wider classical world. K. also rigorously analyses and refutes the interpretations of more recent scholars, for example Dover and Halperin. He is determined to peel back any layers of misunderstanding, starting from Hellenistic and Roman times, to reach the truth. He provides a vast array of examples, all translated into English; some are extremely explicit, rendering this book highly unsuitable for the prudish. K. includes copious footnotes and cross-references; his comprehensive appendices encompass ‘Collections of Ancient Sex Workers’, a ‘Catalogue of Known Sex Workers’ and examples of bawdy humour. A list of abbreviations, general index, index of ancient authors and extensive bibliography complete the work.
The first chapter covers the archaic period, analysing sources such as Archilochus and Anacreon and reviewing the earliest legal framework for brothels in Athens. Chapter 2 deals in depth with a hetaira’s education for her profession, which was regarded as a tekhnê. The best women had ‘personality, style, reputation, social skills, the ability to form emotional bonds and captivate their lovers…’. The dialogue in Xenophon’s Memorabilia between Socrates and Theodote and Apollodoros’ speech Against Neaira provide pertinent evidence. K. discusses the concepts of beauty, including both young boys and women. An extract from Alexis’ Isostasion describes the use of artificial breasts, padding and make up to enhance a hetaira’s looks. The following chapter focuses on the clients, such as politicians, philosophers, poets and soldiers, and points out how differently a politician consorting with a prostitute is regarded today.
K. moves on to the legal regulation of male and female prostitution. Both were legal throughout the Greek world and were engaged in by free citizens as well as slaves. However, a male citizen might not speak in the assembly nor hold office if he worked as a prostitute, and prostitutes could not inherit from their clients. K. reckons that the age of consent for both male and female was 14 years in ancient Greece. He agrees with Foucault that homosexual affairs were certainly not a minority occurrence. Dover’s theory of intercrural sex is firmly rejected as ‘fuelled by modern taboos about anal intercourse’. Things did sometimes turn ugly, just as today, and there are many records of prostitutes suffering violence. The economics of ancient prostitution are discussed in detail, and K. points out that the wealthy trading city of Corinth long took precedence in this area. His penultimate chapter reviews monuments and images on vases, representing prostitutes. Finally, K. considers the relationship between the Greek polis, religion and prostitution. It was democracy which allowed prostitution to be so prevalent and accepted, he declares.
He concludes that ‘When someone walked into a brothel in the ancient world he often had the choice of a woman, a boy, or a man, and any position or contraption that would satisfy his desires. … We hear about transvestite prostitutes, men or women from every corner of the earth, black, Indian, North African, red-headed men and women’. Prostitution allowed a break from a man’s household, political or business duties, and even the poor could indulge.
This is a fascinating work, based on an encyclopaedic knowledge of a monumental breadth of sources; it is definitely not titillation, but rather social history at its most engaging.
Marion Gibbs