HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION: THE OLDEST JOB IN THE WORLD.
If any of us were asked: What is the oldest job in the world? Without a doubt, the vast majority, we would say, prostitution.And although it is not a reality, prostitution has existed since time immemorial, since the first steps of humanity.
We are not going to make this article an apology for prostitution, since it is not something that should be done, but we are going to stick to it, to speak objectively about real, historical and rigorous data on the phenomenon of pimping.
Starting with the Bible itself, going back to the first civilizations and passing through the years through all the cultures that have existed in the world, we find this fact described in different ways: In paintings, logograms and later with cultural advances, with the written word and with different names for who exercised it: Harlots, prostitutes, fellatrice, courtesans or whores.
A profession that was not always as we know it today and that has seen how its role in societies has changed. Depending on the time and place, we find times in which it has been considered a sacred activity, within the reach of a select few, to a criminal act in certain countries today.
Although it is impossible to determine its origin, we will try in these lines to locate prostitution throughout history and reveal why it is known as "The oldest profession in the world".
THE BIBLE. FIRST MENTIONS OF PROSTITUTION
Sticking to reality, prostitution did not appear until perhaps four or at most five thousand years ago, coinciding in time with the first armed warriors, and once the first men had begun to build themselves as agricultural and livestock societies, and in these early times they almost always appear linked to ancient religious rites consisting of the maintenance of paid sexual relations, often between a visitor and a priestess destined for this.
The meanings, connotations and projections of the original sacred prostitution were, however, quite different - as we see later - from the current ones in those who still carry out this activity, which is generally linked to sex.
In the Bible, the sacred book of Christians, references to prostitution are various and very frequent.
From Genesis, the first of the books that compose it, we can see in its verse 38: 1-25 how it speaks of Tamar who is cited as a prostitute:
"So she took off her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat by the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute. , because she had her face covered.
Then she stopped and made him an indecent proposal: -Let me have sex with you- he told her, not realizing that she was her own daughter-in-law. -How much will you pay me to have sex with you? - Tamar asked. -I will send you a goat from my flock- Judah promised. -But what will you give me as a guarantee that you will send the goat?- she asked. -What kind of guarantee do you want?- he answered. She answered: -Leave me your identity seal along with its cord and the cane you carry.Then Judah handed them over to him. Then he had sexual relations with her."
Although perhaps the best-known biblical prostitute was María Magdalena, considered a saint by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and the Christian Communion.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II in the letter Mulieris Dignitatem referred to her as the "apostle of the apostles."
According to the Gospel of Luke. María Magdalena housed and provided materially for Jesus and his disciples during his preaching in Galilee. She adds that she had previously been healed by Jesus: "She was accompanied by the twelve and some women who had been healed of diseases and evil spirits: María Magdalena, from whom seven demons had gone out" Luke 8:1-2.
She was famous both for her relationship with Jesus and for her reputation as a sinner, since, in more than one passage of the Bible and especially the interpretation made by different religions, she was described as a woman who had dedicated herself to prostitution and who For this reason, she had been punished with one of the worst tortures that existed in those times, called "stoning", which consisted of tying a person to a post and throwing stones at them, causing a slow and painful death.
According to these stories, Jesus saved her at the last moment. It is also mentioned that "seven demons came out of her" and from that moment on, Mary Magdalene would have been, of the Apostles, the closest to Jesus.
However, the first records known about this profession are even older than the Bible itself and were also present in all cultures.
THE SUMERIANS AND THE HARLOTS.
This ancient civilization existed approximately around the year 2400 BC. Sumeria is the first town that mentions prostitution as an occupation, being recorded for the annals of history.
It should be noted that Sumerian literature is the oldest in the world. The Sumerians devised the first writing system, starting with logograms.
And as for prostitution, they described it in a brothel inside a temple, operated by Sumerian priests, in the city of Uruk.
A sacred practice. This kakum or temple was dedicated to the goddess Ishtar and was the home of many women who were divided into three groups.
The first group were only allowed to perform sexual rituals in the temple, the second group had access to the grounds and served visitors, and the third and lowest class lived on the temple grounds.
The third class was also free to look for customers on the streets. They were the first to use the term "whore" to refer to people who carried out this activity. This was because those who provided this service had the habit of placing a bouquet of flowers at the door of the houses so that travelers who visited the city, who were their most frequent clients, could identify them.
""They were the first to use the term "whore" to refer to people who carried out this activity""
Saint Isidore of Seville, the Spanish Gothic scholar Catholic ecclesiastic, in one of his writings, corroborated this custom with the following statement: “Ramus ad ianuam appensus corpus vendibile significat” which translates as “A branch hanging at the door, means body for sale".
In some regions, a significant portion of temple prostitutes were men and had sexual relations with other men.
In both cases this practice was considered sacred and socially normalized.
How did it come to an end? Why did it stop being considered sacred and start to have a negative moral vision?
It was Emperor Constantine in the year 320 AD. C. who destroyed the temples of the goddess and replaced religious practices with Christianity, ending prostitution as a sacred act.
The Phoenicians, the Persians and the Hittites also left records of the oldest craft in the world. So far we have not found any culture, from the most primitive to the most current, that does not mention and of importance to prostitution.
EGYPT AND ITS FELLATRICES.
In Ancient Egypt, prostitution was not only legal, but prostitutes were even considered sacred. Families often used to gift their most beautiful daughters to the priests of their temple. As soon as they grew to the taste of the priests, they were ordered to leave the temple. Many of them practiced prostitution until they got married.
Those who were not considered prostitutes were the 'fellatrices', women who dedicated themselves solely to oral sex. Their appearance differentiated them from the rest, so all citizens could quickly identify them, especially because of their intense red painted lips.
"Those who were not considered prostitutes were the 'fellatrices', women who dedicated themselves solely to oral sex."
Oral sex had an almost sacred meaning. In fact in the origin of it, it is told how Osiris was defeated by his brother, and the various parts of his anatomy scattered and collected by Isis.
His phallus was never found, so a clay one was placed in it, Cleopatra performed fellatio on him and brought the most precious part of her body back to life.
Plutarch said of her in one of his biographies called Parallel Lives, "She possessed an infinite voluptuousness when speaking, and so much sweetness and harmony in the sound of her voice that her tongue was like an instrument with several strings that she handled easily and from which she extracted, as it suited her, the most delicate nuances of language. Plato recognizes four types of flattery, but she had a thousand."
GREECE: REGULATED PROSTITUTION.
Prostitution in Greece was very common, as was pedophilia. Boys and girls were offered and sold from a young age to provide sexual services, mostly poor and slaves, raised for this purpose.
In the case of adult men and women, they could be independent although they risked losing their rights. Sometimes they were influential people. They were required to wear distinctive clothing and pay taxes.
Some similarities can be found between the figure of the Greek hetaira and the Japanese oiran as we have delved into in our article "Geishas: the first escorts?". Both were complex figures who perhaps were in an intermediate position between prostitution and courtesan. Her task was more to entertain and be an excellent host than to perform the sexual act itself.
Even so, the most famous and beautiful ones charged extraordinary sums for their services.
"Her task was more to entertain and be an excellent host than to perform sexual acts themselves."
The divine was always present in Greek culture and was no different when it came to prostitution.
Solon (considered one of the seven wise men of Greece, poet, legislator, politician and reformer) established the first of the brothels in Athens.
With the profits from this business he built a temple dedicated, of course, to Aphrodite Pandemos, goddess of sexual pleasure and fertility. More than a thousand courtesans were housed in this temple, who were called "heteras." Many foreigners visited the city to go to the temple, thus the heteras contributed considerably to the wealth of the city.
We could use the information we have about how this profession was regulated in ancient Greece and compare it with some countries in today's Europe, such as Germany or Holland, where this practice has been legalized and where sex workers are considered at the same level. couple who pay taxes and enjoy the same benefits as any type of worker, among other rights.
THE STRUMPET OF ROME
After the era of Greek hegemony, the Roman Empire took over as a world power in every sense. The Romans were not far behind when it came to prostitution either.
The state had an active participation in the business and not only collected taxes from pleasure houses and brothels, but also registered all prostitutes (men and women), granted them work licenses, these people were called "strumpet"
Once a name is entered on that list, it could never be deleted.
Some large brothels from the 4th century, when Rome was officially becoming Christian, appear to have been counted as tourist attractions and were possibly state property.
"The state had an active participation in the business and not only collected taxes from pleasure houses and brothels, but also registered all prostitutes (men and women), granted them work licenses, these people were called strumped."
It was common and morally accepted that important figures such as public officials and celebrities frequented prostitutes and escorts of both sexes. Just as buyers were allowed to inspect naked men and women for sale in private and there was no stigma attached to the purchase of slaves by an aristocrat.
On the other hand, there was great social rejection towards those who carried out this job, ironically the vast majority were slaves or former slaves, sold for this purpose, such as abandoned children, captured foreign women and others with unfortunate lives. People lacking social position and deprived of the protections that the majority of citizens under Roman law received.
They were considered "infamous people" and were denied many of the civic rights owed to citizens. They could not testify in court and freeborn Roman men were prohibited from marrying them, among other things.
Some professional prostitutes, perhaps to be compared to courtesans, had elite clients and could become wealthy. There are many stories that tell that the dictator Sulla built his fortune with the wealth left to him by a prostitute in his will.
The Romans also assumed that actors and dancers were available to provide paid sexual services, and the courtesans whose names survive in the historical record are sometimes indistinguishable from actresses and other performers.
In Cicero's time, the courtesan Cytheris was a welcome guest at dinner parties at the highest level of Roman society.
Charming, artistic, and educated, such women contributed to a new romantic standard for male-female relationships that Ovid and other poets of Augustus' time articulated in their erotic readings.
INDIA.
In India there were tawaifs, they were courtesans who served the nobility of South Asia, particularly during the era of the Mughal Empire.
These courtesans danced, sang, recited poetry and entertained their suitors during the mehfils (evening gathering for poetry recitation, courteous entertainment or concert of dance and Hindustani classical music, for a small audience in an intimate setting).
Much like the geisha tradition in Japan, their main goal was to professionally entertain their guests.
While sex often occurred, it was not contractually assured.
The most popular or higher class tawaif could often choose from the best suitors.
They contributed to Urdu music, dance, theatre, cinema and literary tradition.
On the other hand, during those times there was "devadasi", a Hindu religious practice in which girls were married and dedicated to a deity (deva or devi).
They were in charge of taking care of the temple, performing rituals they learned, and practicing Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian arts traditions.
This status allowed them to enjoy a high social status.
The popularity of devadasis seems to have reached its pinnacle around the 10th and 11th centuries.
The rise and fall in the state of devadasis can be seen to run parallel to the rise and fall of the Hindu temples."Much like the geisha tradition in Japan, their main goal was to professionally entertain their guests."
The Islamic invasion caused a rapid decline in the status of temples in India and their destruction.
As the temples became impoverished and lost their patron kings, and in some cases were destroyed, the devadasis were forced to live in poverty and prostitution.
During the rule of the British East India Company in India in the late 17th and 19th centuries, it was initially quite common for British soldiers to engage in inter-ethnic prostitution in India, where they frequently visited local Indian dancers.
As British women began arriving in British India in large numbers during the early to mid-19th century, it became increasingly rare for British soldiers to visit Indian prostitutes, and miscegenation was completely disdained after the events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
MUSLIMS AND SEX SLAVES.
In the 7th century, the Prophet Muhammad declared a ban on prostitution.
In Islam, prostitution is considered a sin, and Abu Mas'ud Al-Ansari is credited with saying: "Allah's Apostle forbade taking the price of a dog, the money earned by prostitution, and the earnings of a fortune teller." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3:34:439)
However, sexual slavery was not considered prostitution and was very common during the Arab slave trade during the Middle Ages and early modern period. Women and girls from the Caucasus, Africa, Central Asia, and Europe were captured and served as concubines in the harems of the Arab world.
"Women and girls from the Caucasus, Africa, Central Asia and Europe were captured and served as concubines in the harems of the Arab world."
The Prophet Muhammad sanctioned fixed-term marriage, called muta'a in Iraq and sigheh in Iran, which according to some Western writers, has supposedly been used as a legitimizing cover for prostitutes, in a culture that shows us that this activity does not It is as prohibited as they have wanted to show.
Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of Muslims worldwide, believe that the practice of nikah mut‘ah was repealed and ultimately banned by the second Sunni caliph, Umar.
Chiitas consider all sexual relations outside of marriage proper, sinful and prohibited.
THE FRENCH COURTESANS
In the Modern Era something very particular happens: the figure of the “prostitute” almost disappears to become that of the courtesan.
However, we should not confuse a courtesan with a prostitute, since in the 19th century, during Modernity, the courtesan was another member of the King's entourage and did not necessarily have to perform a sexual act.
To this day it is known that one of the most important characters of this time was Ninon, pseudonym of Anne de Lenclos, who had more than 5,000 lovers throughout her life.
She was one of the most serious confidants of Louis who came to baptize it “Notre Dame des Amours”.
"However, we should not confuse a courtesan with a prostitute, since in the 19th century, during Modernity, the courtesan was another member of the King's entourage and they did not necessarily have to perform a sexual act."
Her culture, her ease with letters, her great wit and enormous common sense, earned her the respect not only of the intellectuals of the time, but also of Louis XIV himself, who used to have meetings with her to request political advice. He said: “Her contradictions preserve civility.”
But not only did Louis XIV take her as her confidant, but so did Queen Christina of Sweden, who requested to meet with her personally to receive her opinions. We could also include Cardinal Richelieu among those interested in Ninon, who offered her a large amount of money to spend a night with her, and although the courtesan accepted the money, rumors claim that it was another person who showed up in the room. Cardinal.
Leaving Ninon aside, we must highlight a curious aspect of the courtesans: in large capitals such as Rome or Venice, the number of courtesans had to be regulated due to the large number there were, and they were all governed by a “Queen”, who He was responsible for enforcing all police regulations so that the courtesans would not have problems.
PROSTITUTES IN THE ENGLISH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
The Victorian Era in the history of the United Kingdom marked the rise of the Industrial Revolution and the British Empire. Although this expression is commonly used to refer to the long reign of Victoria I (1837/1901), it also refers to the profound changes that occurred in cultural sensibilities.
The sexual double standard found its greatest splendor in the Victorian era: parallel to the strict and conservative customs of the time for women from the highest social classes, an underground sexual world developed where prostitution proliferated. A society exacerbated by moralism and discipline was created, with rigid prejudices and discourses of sexuality such as had never existed in the Western world.
Prostitution was one of the main economic activities that characterized England in the Victorian period, concentrating in urban centers such as London and Wales, in specific neighborhoods and in brothels, and its protagonists were middle and lower class women, women who were unprotected due to being widowed, having husbands enlisted in the army or women with few resources. This is how the contemporary mode of prostitution begins to take shape in the 18th century..
Female sexual activity (of course, of the upper class) was neutralized and reduced to a single purpose: reproduction, when necessary. Meanwhile, it was logical – and good practice – for men to be with a varied number of women, who apparently could break the rules for the sole purpose of giving them pleasure."Prostitution was one of the main economic activities that characterized England in the Victorian period."
CURRENTLY.
The current panorama is quite different depending on the territory being analyzed; in countries like Germany or Holland, prostitution is a regularized, controlled and practically normal job.
On the other hand, in countries like the United States, prostitution is completely illegal and penalized, in addition to being highly frowned upon socially.
We can find, especially in countries where it is not regularized, that there are several "levels" to carry out the profession, from spaces in very bad conditions where profits are much lower, in low neighborhoods and red zones of the cities, to a independent professional who charges considerable sums of money for each encounter, managing to lead an above-average quality of life, offering his services to exclusive and wealthy social groups.
Finally, we have the figure of the Escort, which has become very popular in recent years and is often confused with that of a prostitute, just as courtesans were at the time, since in reality the service they provide is exclusively company and entertainment."In countries like Germany or Holland, prostitution is completely legal and is regularized and considered like any other job."
They tend to be women and men with cultural knowledge, a passion for art and social relations, who also speak several languages and travel the world, accompanying their clients at work dinners, parties and, in general, in their leisure time.
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