Laura K. McClure

Christopher A. Faraone

Prostitutes and Courtesans in the Ancient World explores the implications of sex-for-pay across a broad span of time, from ancient Mesopotamia to the early Christian period. In ancient times, although they were socially marginal, prostitutes connected with almost every aspect of daily life. They sat in brothels and walked the streets; they paid taxes and set up dedications in religious sanctuaries; they appeared as characters—sometimes admirable, sometimes despicable—on the comic stage and in the law courts; they lived lavishly, consorting with famous poets and politicians; and they participated in otherwise all-male banquets and drinking parties, where they aroused jealousy among their anxious lovers. The chapters in this volume examine a wide variety of genres and sources, from legal and religious tracts to the genres of lyric poetry, love elegy, and comic drama to the graffiti scrawled on the walls of ancient Pompeii. These essays reflect the variety and vitality of the debates engendered by the last three decades of research by confronting the ambiguous terms for prostitution in ancient languages, the difficulty of distinguishing the prostitute from the woman who is merely promiscuous or adulterous, the question of whether sacred or temple prostitution actually existed in the ancient Near East and Greece, and the political and social implications of literary representations of prostitutes and courtesans.

Prostitutes and Courtesans in the Ancient World

Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures Christopher A Faraone

These essays explore the implications of sex-for-pay from ancient Mesopotamia to the early Christian period. They reflect the debates engendered by research by confronting the ambiguous terms for prostitution in ancient languages as well as the politicaland social implications of literary representations of prostitutes.

This volume provides essays that represent a range of perspectives on women, gender and sexuality in the ancient world, tracing the debates from the late 1960s to the late 1990s.

Readings and Sources

Sexuality and Gender in the Classical World

An introduction to women and gender in the classical world that draws on the most recent research in the field Women in Classical Antiquity focuses on the important objects, events and concepts that combine to form a clear understanding of ancient Greek and Roman women and gender. Drawing on the most recent findings and research on the topic, the book offers an overview of the historical events, values, and institutions that are critical for appreciating and comparing the life situations of women across both cultures. The author examines the lifecycle of women in ancient Greek and Rome beginning with how young females acquired the gendered characteristics necessary for adulthood. The text explores female adolescence, including concerns about virginity, medical views of the female body, religious roles, and education. Views of marriage, motherhood, sexual activity, adultery, and prostitution are also examined. In addition, the author explores how women exercised authority and the possibilities for their civic engagement. This important resource: Explores the formation of classical women’s social identity through the life stages of birth, adolescence, marriage, childbirth, old age, and death Contains information on the most recent research in this rapidly evolving field Offers a review of the life course as a way to understand the social processes by which Greek and Roman females acquired gender traits Includes questions for review, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of key terms Written for academics and students of classical antiquity, Women in Classical Antiquity offers a general introduction to women and gender in the classical world.

From Birth to Death

Women in Classical Antiquity

A Companion to Euripides is an up-to-date, centralized assessment of Euripides and his work, drawing from the most recently published texts, commentaries, and scholarship, and offering detailed discussions and provocative interpretations of his extant plays and fragments. The most contemporary scholarship on Euripides and his oeuvre, featuring the latest texts and commentaries Leading scholars in the field discuss all of Euripides’ plays and their afterlife with breadth and depth A dedicated section focuses on the reception of Euripidean drama since the Hellenistic Original and provocative interpretations of Euripides and his plays forge important paths of in future scholarship

Laura K. McClure

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