Hetaira
Of the several categories of prostitutes found in the Greek City-States of the fifth and fourth centuries BC, Hetaira also referred to as courtesans were the most expensive. They lead very different lives from, say, the streetwalkers of the period.
The Athenian system in particular had brought about a social polarization between good women and whores. The citizens wives did not go out and of the house much, wore concealing clothing, did not expect sex more than three times a month and were inadequately educated. Hetaira were supposed to have combined physical beauty with intelligence and artistic comments, wore diaphanous clothing, accompanied them to drinking parties and probably had more frequent sex. The distinction was famously summed up by the fourth century orator Demosthenes; 'We have mistresses for our enjoyment ... wives for the bearing of legitimate offspring'.
Hetaira either offered themselves to the highest bidder each night, or saw a number of 'regulars', or established themselves as a partner of a well known man. In the later capacity many gained political influence. Aspasia, the companion of the politician Pericles, is undoubtedly the most famous woman of her period; Egyptian rulers the Ptolemies in the Hellenistic age, were also reputed to have much influenced by Hetaira. No doubt the Hetaira' sexual repertoire is more extensive than that of the wives and it was recognized, says David M Helprin in "100 years of Homosexuality" (London and New York: Routledge, 1990), that prostitutes were used to provide sexual pleasures considered degrading to the provider, such as fellatio. Hetaira were more financially independent than other women, and their are extensive records of their donations to temples. If unsuccessful in finding a long-term male protector, they could survive in old age by training slave girls and running brothels.
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root