Prostitution in ancient Greece

There are groups who consider prostitution as the oldest profession on Earth. Others see it as a debasing form of human dignity imposed by a male chauvinistic society. Prostitution, as it is presented here, didn’t take place in brothels, but at banquets called “symposia”, where different scenes decorated the vases to drink wine. The Greeks distinguished two types of sex professionals: “hetairai” or courtesans (Lucian of Samosata, Dialogues of the Hetarai) and “pornai” or prostitutes.


Há grupos que consideram a prostituição como a mais velha profissão do mundo. Outros encaram-na como forma aviltante da dignidade humana imposta por uma sociedade machista. A prostituição aqui apresentada não decorria nos bordéis, mas nos banquetes denominados 'simpósios', onde diversas cenas decoravam os vasos de beber vinho. Os gregos distinguiam dois tipos de profissionais do sexo: “hetairai” ou cortesãs (Lucian of Samosato; Dialogues of the Hetarai) e “pornai” ou prostitutas.

Polygnotos-'courtisane and client (youth giving a purse to a sitting hetaera; behind her stands a young woman carrying a plemochoe or toilet vase)'-attic-(red-figure)-pelike-Kameiros (Rhodes)-ca 430 BC Athens-National Atchaeological Museum

Attr. Shuvalov painter-'love-making (naked girl climbing on to boy's lap)'-attic-(red-figure)-oinochoe-Locri-(430-420 BC) Berlin-Altes Museum (Berlin F 2414)

Triptolemos painter-'sexual act'-attic-(red-figure)-kylix-ca 470 BC Tarquinia-Museo Nazionale

Pedius painter-'heterosexual couple engaging in oral intercouse'-attic-(red-figure)-kylix-ca 510 BC Paris-Musée du Louvre (G 13)

Attr. Douris painter-'love-making'-attic-(red-figure)-kylix-(480-470 BC) Boston-Museum of Fine Arts (Boston 1970.233)