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The Economy of Prostitution in the Roman World: A Study of Social History and the Brothel | 
| Author: Thomas Mcginn
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $80.00
New (9) Used (1) from $80.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 1986821
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 392
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0472113623
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.740937
EAN: 9780472113620
ASIN: 0472113623
Publication Date: February 18, 2004
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In recent years, a number of classical scholars have turned their attention to prostitution in the ancient world. Close examination of the social and legal position of Roman meretrices and Greek hetairai have enriched our understanding of ancient sexual relationships and the status of women in these societies. These studies have focused, however, almost exclusively on the legal and literary evidence.
McGinn approaches the issues from a new direction, by studying the physical venues that existed for the sale of sex, in the context of the Roman economy. Combining textual and material evidence, he provides a detailed study of Roman brothels and other venues of venal sex (from imperial palaces and privates houses to taverns, circuses, and back alleys) focusing on their forms, functions, and urban locations.
The book covers the central period of Roman history, roughly from 200 B.C. to A.D. 250. It will especially interest social and legal historians of the ancient world, and students of gender, sexuality, and the family.
Thomas A. J. McGinn is Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Vanderbilt University.
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| Customer Reviews:
Interesting, but not in the way you think November 11, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
No, this book will not be of interest to anyone looking for something sexy--there's nothing like that in this book. Instead, this is a social history book, and a good one.
McGinn investigates the evidence we have regarding prostition in the Roman economy.
Prostitution was a perfectly legal institution in Rome. A brothel could be located next to a temple or the house of a wealthy person and cause no comment.
Although it was legal, the workers in a brothel had a very low status in society. That's probably because most of the workers were forced into it because they were slaves. Roman law proclaimed that a slave had no rights over his body; he could be used, abused, even killed, with no one to protest.
It became standard practice for wealthy people to earn money by forcing their young slaves into brothels. The amount raised from these slaves could be significant.
One other important feature of the brothels was that the workers were young by our standards. Children of both sexes were made to serve as protitutes. For boys, their years of prostitution were usually over once they started sprouting a beard. Then they would be returned to their owner and put to another use. Women might continue to live as prostitutes until they lost their looks.
The other common manner for brothel owners to obtain workers was to take in abandoned infants and children.
This book explores an aspect of Roman life rarely delved into in other history books and should be of interest to studying ancient cultures.
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