starożytność: Prostitution in ancient Greece

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Prostitution was a common aspect of ancient Greece. In the more important cities, and particularly the many ports, it employed a significant number of people and represented a notable part of economic activity. It was far from being clandestine; cities did not condemn brothels, but rather only instituted regulations on them. In Athens, the legendary lawmaker Solon is credited with having created state brothels with regulated prices. Prostitution involved both sexes differently; women of all ages and young men were prostitutes, for a predominantly male clientele. Simultaneously, extramarital relations with a free woman were severely dealt with. In the case of adultery, the cuckold had the le…

Evidence: 59 • authority: 88

“Domitian Did Not Condemn Them”. The Platonic philosopher Hierocles claimed—and some modern exegetes have claimed—that Jesus and his followers engaged in violence. This non-Christian tradition is contradicted, not only by the gospels but by an ancient tradition from Palestine in which Jesus’ cousins, facing a Roman emperor, echo the words of Jesus before Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” If this piece of Christian tradition can be trusted, the trial of Jesus’ cousins may have changed the Roman policy towards Christians in the latter part of the first century CE. But the historicity of this trial is immaterial. The argument of this chapter (and of this book) is that the saying attri…

Evidence: 45 • authority: 80

Far from being independent from each other, global supply and demand are logically merged into one unique magnitude; only confusion in the mind can separate them

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Slavery was a widely accepted practice in ancient Greece. The principal use of slaves was in agriculture, but they were also used in stone quarries or mines, as domestic servants, or even as a public utility, as with the demosioi of Athens. Modern historiographical practice distinguishes between chattel slavery (where the slave was regarded as a piece of property, as opposed to a member of human society) and land-bonded groups such as the penestae of Thessaly or the Spartan helots, who were more like medieval serfs (an enhancement to real estate). The chattel slave is an individual deprived of liberty and forced to submit to an owner, who may buy, sell, or lease them like any other chattel.…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Prostitution in ancient Rome was legal and licensed. The moral stance of Roman society towards it is a complex topic and there are indications that it evolved through time. Prostitution took many forms. It ranged from the sexual services that were routinely offered in many establishments - such as Roman baths (thermae) or inns (tabernae and stabula) - to the dedicated brothels (lupanar). Most prostitutes were female slaves or freedwomen. The balance of voluntary to forced prostitution can only be guessed at. Privately held slaves were considered property under Roman law, so it was legal for an owner to employ them as prostitutes. Pimping and prostitution were, however, considered disgracefu…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The legality of prostitution in Europe varies by country. Some countries outlaw the act of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for money, while others allow prostitution itself, but not most forms of procuring (such as operating brothels, facilitating the prostitution of another, deriving financial gain from the prostitution of another, soliciting/loitering). In 10 European countries (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, and Turkey), prostitution is legal and regulated. Belgium became the first country in Europe to decriminalize sex work since 1 June 2022. The degree of enforcement of the anti-prostitution laws varies by country, by r…

Evidence: — • authority: 88

Clandestine Pursuits. This chapter focuses on intentionally hidden objects and their meaning for the individuals who hid them. The emphasis on objects illustrates the strength of archaeology to use the material record to connect to specific people in the past. Window panes with messages and/or names scratched in them are described and witch bottles and pierced and folded coins are discussed in the context of European traditions continued in the New World. Classic archaeological studies of ceramic pots, clay pipes, and caches of artifacts found on African American sites are presented as setting the standards for finding evidence of agency where agency was presumed not to exist. Archaeologica…