Description
Book SynopsisChallenges the often-romanticised view of the prostitute as an urbane and liberated courtesan by examining the social and economic realities of the sex industry in Greco-Roman culture. Departing from the conventional focus on elite society, these essays consider the Greek prostitute as displaced foreigner, slave, and member of an urban underclass.
Trade Review“By questioning the class-based polarity between courtesan (hetaira) and whore (porne), the authors substantially correct academic readings of the Greek prostitute as cultural construct, embedding them in gritty reality.” —Marilyn Skinner, University of Arizona
“Common prostitutes, such as those found in brothels, around harbors, and on the streets of ancient cities, have long been ignored in favor of their more glamorous counterpart, the hetaira. This volume for the first time puts the focus on the degradation, marginality, and exploitation inherent in the ancient sex trade through an exploration of the literary and artistic representation of prostitutes and the civic and domestic spaces they inhabited.” —Laura K. McClure, coeditor of
Prostitutes and Courtesans in the Ancient World
