Roxanne of the Past!
- Liana Wadhwani
- Jun 5, 2020
- 6 min read
Hey guys! It has been a while, but I finished writing a paper about women in Ancient Athens, and I thought I would share. The paper does focus on prostitution which I know can be a hard topic, but it is part of history and must be addressed. (NB this blog post doesn't include the footnotes, which may be helpful when reading. If you would like the access the full paper this is the link :
The place of women in ancient Athenian society is both problematic and often overly simplified. Scholars have generally grouped these women into two juxtaposing categories: the respected and the unrespected. The respected women consisted of women who didn’t leave the house and were essentially baby-making machines. In contrast, the unrespected women were those who left their homes and showed their faces in public. This class of women included sex workers and poorer women who needed to work to support their families. By categorizing women into two separate and incompatible groups, historians have created an inaccurate depiction of Athenian life. The system is extremely “black and white” and completely disregards the women who aren’t respected quite as much as a gamete kata nomous (a wife according to the law)but are more respected than the common prostitute or pornai. These women were known as the hetaira, which can loosely be translated as ‘a companion’. While these women were a type of sex worker, unlike the pornai they were highly sophisticated and surprisingly had a lot of control over their lives. For one, hetairai were allowed to be more selective about choosing their partners. Their relationships were often long term and more similar to one of a mistress. On the other hand, pornai were more promiscuous, and Athenian men came to them purely for sex, not to form a relationship. Furthermore, hetaira worked in a more exclusive market, normally aristocratic Athenian men. Often Athenian men who were too young to get married sought their services to gain experience with women. However, just as often, older men who weren’t satisfied with the company (both sexual and verbal) of their wives found satisfaction in the company of a hetaira. Athenian women were generally uneducated and illiterate, and as a result, many Athenian men felt that they couldn’t have an intellectual conversation with them. Hetairai were often metics or were slave entertainers who were trained in music and sometimes even rhetoric. Men often engaged in extremely sophisticated conversations with these women. It was reported that at a symposium, Socrates had learned from Diotima herself. Symposia were extravagant feasts that were put on by male elites, and naturally, no wives were allowed. Hetairai made a substantial profit from these gatherings because they were hired to entertain the guests via conversation, music, and sexual pleasure afterward. The hetairai became known as “the ones who go to the symposia for ten drachmas.” Nevertheless, the most important contrast between pornai and hetaira was their extent of freedom. Prostitutes were slaves to their pimps. They lived in the brothels, and the pimps took the majority of their profits. In contrast, the hetairai were ancient businesswomen; they controlled their income, which is incredible. In a society where half of the population isn’t able to go outside, some women are completely independent. However, it is rather problematic because men give hetairai the ability to support themselves; therefore, they are still dependent on men.
While being a hetaira was arguably the freest life for a woman in ancient Athens, not every woman chose that way of life. Due to sexist practices, historians don’t have any written records from hetaira themselves; instead, many ancient plays and comedies make references to their position in society. In the play Adelphoe, the character Aeschinus dies, leaving his mother, girlfriend, an old nurse, and a male slave behind. The play highlights how the three women were only able to survive due to the support of the male slave: “He keeps them; single-handed, he supports the whole household.” This is rather ironic because while these women were considered “respectable” according to Athenian/Roman standards, they were dependent on the lowest class for survival. Without a male relative or a male in general, women had two options: wool working, which only rewarded a small sum of money or becoming a hetaira, which offered good money and the potential of a comfortable lifestyle. If a woman was young enough, the latter choice was much more agreeable. Without citizenship or a dowry, these women had nothing but their bodies. Other comedies and law speeches have shed light on the more common ways women became hetairai. Most began as slave entertainers. Young girls were trained by their owners in music and sometimes rhetoric. Eventually, slave owners would sell them to wealthy Athenian men. It was not uncommon for the men who bought the girls to fall in love with them and allow them to buy their freedom. The girls would then become hetairai. Like young women who have no male relatives, these women were not given much of a choice. Many comedies joke that these girls were virgins, which is not true. Financially speaking, slave owners had already spent money on the girls’ education, and they wouldn’t miss making a considerable profit in selling their services, especially because the girls were young and therefore more profitable. Therefore, these girls had no family and were not virgins, and as a result, they were deemed “not respectable” according to Athenian societal standards. No man, metic or an Athenian citizen was likely to marry an ex-slave/prostitute girl. The only options they had were to become a pornai or become a hetaira. Most commonly, hetairai were metics or resident aliens. The most famous hetaira was Aspasia. Aspasia was from Miletus and immigrated to Athens in about 450 BCE. She was known to be an exceptional conversationalist and highly trained in the arts. It was through her job as a hetaira that she became the mistress of Pericles, an influential strategoi. She most likely met Pericles at a symposium where he fell in love with her and soon after divorced his wife. Plutarch, in the Life of Pericles, comments on how Pericles “held her in high favor because of her ‘rare political wisdom’ and that she ‘had the reputation of being associated with a whole succession of Athenians, who came to her to learn rhetoric.”’ In fact, she had quite a significant influence over Pericles and his political policies. Certainly, Aspasia was not the only female hetaira that was highly esteemed and influential. There existed many other women like Aspasia, which further conveys how separating ancient women living in Athens into two classes is problematic. Scholars have only acknowledged two extremes and have entirely disregarded that these women represent the middle. They have placed ever women who didn’t fit the “cookie-cutter” image into the unrespected category by default. However, there were women who were respected, yet they weren’t “baby-making machines”.
It wouldn’t be fair just to acknowledge the “success stories”. Not every hetairai had a life like Aspasia. While a hetaira’s experience may have been better than the average prostitute, at the end of the day, they were foreigners and had been rejected by society. Additionally, the path to becoming a hetaira often involved sex trafficking and abuse. Apollodorus’ prosecution speech against Neaera, a hetaira that pretended to be an Athenian citizen, highlights this. They may have been free, but they had no form of protection.
A Modern Comparison:
The women who are part of the Red Light District in Amsterdam share many similarities with the hetaira, who lived in Ancient Athens several centuries ago. In general, red-light districts are an area in an urban city containing many sex businesses. Like the hetaira who control their income, these women own/rent their windows and don’t work for a pimp. They get to keep all their profits and are in a safer environment. They aren’t beholden to anyone like an ancient prostitute or a modern one. Therefore, people protesting to shut them down can cause more harm. If the red light districts are closed, then illegal brothels will open, and as a result, there will be illegal prostitution. Furthermore, permanently closing the legal market will just open an illegal, dangerous one. Many of these women don’t want to be selling their bodies for money, but like the hetaira, they might not have had much of a choice. For example, if being a hetaira was not an option, these women would become sex slaves. The same applies to the women working in these districts. The red light districts might not be completely ethical, but at least they own their bodies. Additionally, because they work for the government, they can get free healthcare, and the city protects them.
Sources:
Fantham, Elaine. "Sex, Status, and Survival in Hellenistic Athens: A Study of Women in New Comedy." Phoenix 29, no. 1 (1975): 44-74. Accessed May 27, 2020. doi:10.2307/1087583.
Bardis, Panos D. "The Ancient Greek Family." Social Science 39, no. 3 (1964): 156-75. Accessed May 27, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/23907609.
Robson, James. "Prostitution." In Sex and Sexuality in Classical Athens, 67-89. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013. Accessed May 27, 2020. doi:10.3366/j.ctvxcrq1q.9.
Courtesans & Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athenian Society (google books)
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This is really great Liana! So interesting and informative. I had only a superficial understanding of women in Ancient Athens, and this is so helpful. Thank you for the post!!
this is actually super interesting! I had no idea about the hetairai or the women of the red light district
so in depth and informative! great job liana!!