Prostitution in the ancient world usually referred to a classification of women and men who offered their sexual services outside the parameters of law codes for ancient society. The word 'prostitute' derives from the Latin prostituere ("to expose publicly"). This was a reference to the way in which Roman prostitutes advertised so as not to be confused with decent matrons (see below). Depending upon the context and translation of an ancient text, sometimes the English words "harlot" or "whore" are used.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1797/prostitution-in-the-ancient-mediterranean/.
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- Why do you think ancient people linked sex and religion?
- How should we judge prostitution in ancient societies?
- Why do you think later Christians changed stories about women like Mary Magdalene?
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