Origins and Ancient Civilizations
Sex work likely dates back to the dawn of human civilization, intertwined with early social and economic systems. Anthropologists suggest that sexual exchange was sometimes a part of barter and social relationships in hunter-gatherer societies.
Mesopotamia and Ancient Near East
The earliest written records mention prostitution explicitly in Mesopotamia around 2400 BCE. In the Sumerian city-states (modern-day Iraq), temple prostitution or "sacred prostitution" was believed to have existed. Women served in temples as priestesses who also engaged in sexual acts with worshippers, ostensibly as part of religious rituals to honor fertility gods like Inanna or Ishtar.
Though debated by historians, these practices indicate a religious sanction or cultural integration of sex work. However, not all prostitution was sacred; secular prostitution flourished in urban centers with brothels regulated by the state.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, sex work had a nuanced social position. While some female sex workers were associated with temples and fertility cults, many worked independently in cities. Ancient Egyptian texts and art refer to prostitutes, and the profession was recognized, though it carried social stigma. Some high-ranking courtesans gained influence and wealth.
Ancient Greece and Rome
The Greeks formalized prostitution with a class of sex workers known as hetairai (courtesans), who often educated and entertained wealthy men alongside providing sexual services. Lower classes of prostitutes (pornai) operated in brothels (lupanaria), regulated by the state and taxed.
In Rome, prostitution was legal and taxed as a form of commerce. Brothels were common, and prostitutes ranged from enslaved women to freedwomen and even some high-status courtesans. Roman law allowed but regulated prostitution, considering it a public business. However, social status mattered greatly—sex workers were often excluded from respectable society. shutdown123