Brief History of Prostitution

2004 Translated by M.-C. Verniengeal Brief history of prostitution Note by the author This document owes a lot to Max Chaleil’s work. His book, ‘Le corps prostitué : le sexe dévorant’ is the main reference of this file. This historical summary will mainly concern France, even though there are a few comparisons with the situation of prostitution in other countries. 1. The Beginnings : Sexual hospitality and sacred prostitution It is not so sure that prostitution is the oldest trade in the world; the Europeans admitted to it during the colonial years. In some European societies, prostitution was associated with the notion of hospitality – various women of the house were offered to guests passing through. This custom used to exist in Chaldea, in India, in Egypt and throughout the Orient. Such sexual hospitality sometimes even implied a religious aspect that was organized by the priests of certain gods and from which they benefited. Sacred prostitutes were not at all considered in the same way and some of them had specific tasks decided by the high priests. However prostitution was soon reduced to a sexual ritual, revealing its true colours during the Saturnalia and other so-called religious orgies. Thus prostitution became a social phenomenon and started losing its sacred side, even though the rite survived. In addition to sacred prostitution, there were great courtesans in the Orient, not only in India but also in Burma and Korea and above all in Japan. In China, prostitutes originally resembled the Greek Hetaeras but soon after, prostitution became a trade. Amongst Hebrews and Muslims, prostitution was always considered with revulsion and was only practiced by foreigners or slaves. 2. The Birth of Modern Society, The Birth of Prostitution The evolution of society, from a magical religion to a spiritual one and the desanctification of the sexual act coincided with the replacement of sacred prostitution with profane prostitution. In ancient Asia, the sovereigns became aware of the various possible forms of prostitution and their potential benefits; consequently they established a legal prostitution through the opening of state establishments intended to protect public order and generate public revenues. 2..1 Greece The Greek Republic developed a national economy that led to a strict separation of social relations as well as to a curtailment of women’s freedom. Athens invented a system of exchanging sexual relations for certain financial privileges; the spouses’ role was reduced to that of child bearing and raising. Prostitution became more modern as the State, marriage and the family became institutions at the same time as the development of social hierarchy. If sacred prostitution co-existed with the profane one in Greece, the former soon disappeared as it was no longer in keeping with the newly emerging society. In this patriarchal society, in which only men were allowed to go out in the streets and forums, prostitutes were used as ‘safety valves’ to maintain public order. As prostitution was spreading, Solon decided to regulate it. Lower class state establishments, called the dicterions were founded in Athens and the Priaieus harbour; the prostitutes were imprisoned there. Taxation employees, the pornotropoi were in charge of fixing the tax, controlling the price and watching over the establishments. Besides the classic prostitutes, the Pallaques the Auletrides showed particular erotic qualities enhanced by flute music and dancing while the Hetaeras were courtesans with higher claims. © The Scelles Foundation – 2004 1 These documents are available for use with mention of copyright. 2004 Translated by M.-C. Verniengeal 2..2 Rome In contrast with the situation in Greece, sacred prostitution never existed in Rome. Very early on, marriage was established as a foundation of society. Even though a period of austerity did occur from 753 to 200 BC, the Empire was soon overcome by debauchery. That is why in 180 BC, Marcus decided to register prostitutes for the first time. In reality this process instituted the legal and definitive status of the prostitute as a slave who was not allowed to leave her red-light district. The prostitute bore a card, the licentia stupri and remained unworthy, despicable and deprived of any civil rights until her death. This registration system lasted about 600 years until the V century only to reappear in the XIX century. Foreigners and freed women were allowed to prostitute themselves freely. However, customs become so slack and the number of prostitutes increased to such a degree that authorities forbade certain female citizens to prostitute themselves. “Rome was then home to 35000 registered girls working in 46 official brothels, to which we should add the numerous illicit ones and all the male prostitutes. This represented a significant number when we take into account that the capital had only one million inhabitants.” 1 2..3 Attempts at abolition In 476 prostitution temporarily disappeared with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. In the Eastern Roman Empire, which lasted another thousand years, three Emperors attempted to abolish prostitution. In the IV century for the first time in history, Ethodose also fought against pimping. In the V century, Theodose sent into exile and down the mines the fathers and masters who prostituted their daughters and slaves. In the VI century, Justitian shut up brothels and cracked down on pimping; in his reign it was forbidden to receive a prostitute in one’s home or to hire oneself to a tenant. Justinian’s wife, Theodora, tried to establish houses to receive and rehabilitate prostitutes but this double experiment was not met with any success. 3. The Medieval world and its paradoxes The Middle Ages passed through contradictory periods, from rebellious ones to oppressive ones. Thus, after the advent of Christianity, the Church forbade any extra-marital sexual intercourse and consequently declared prostitution illegal, hunting down prostitutes, who were labelled sinners. However, the springing up of towns allowed a type of prostitution, caused mainly by poverty. The situation of the prostitutes was regulated by an order published during Louis VIII’s reign; their demeanour and clothes were codified. At the same time, the Church often intervened to encourage the sovereigns to tolerate prostitution. But Saint Louis fought pimps by shutting down brothels. The prostitutes were asked to put an end to their activities; they were sent back home or confined to rehabilitation institutions such as the Filles Dieu convent. This attempt was a failure and according to an order in 1254, Saint Louis had to allow the reopening of brothels. Besides, the Church was strongly opposed to Louis IX’s expulsion in 1258 of the public girls from all the towns of the kingdom so that the disturbances caused by men’s urges did not replace prostitution. So a counter society developed on the fringes of Paris and other large towns in France, containing swindlers, thieves, pickpockets, fake cripples, people pretending to be blind and others with dubious morals, together with the prostitutes. Organised crime existed in Paris as an institution as early as the 11 th century and the State had to put up with it. Bourdeaux (a name for brothels) were also found far from the town centres and religious buildings. Prostitution had become an institution, and for a further three centuries the organisation and daily life in brothels remained more or less the same as it had been in ancient Rome. These establishments were 1 Max Chaleil, Le Corps prostitué : Le sexe dévorant , Editions Galilée, Paris, 1981, p. 60. © The Scelles Foundation – 2004 2 These documents are available for use with mention of copyright. 2004 Translated by M.-C. Verniengeal side by side within the red light districts of the time. Some church authorities collected the profits coming from the brothels, such as in Frankfurt, Strasbourg or Rome, sometimes even taking part in what went on there. 4. The Renaissance, the body era In the XVI century, customs became more relaxed as the ancient world was rediscovered. The body was once again reconsidered, with its own existence, no longer dependent on the soul. While the Renaissance was the golden age for courtesans, it was also a great time for street girls and brothels. Under François 1 st , Paris, which at the time had 150 000 inhabitants, was also home to 6000 prostitutes. As in previous periods, these girls ended up in prostitution through poverty and war, for the pillaging of towns went hand in hand with rape and abduction. 5. The XVII century’s protest against debauchery During the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation there was a return to good morals, amongst the members of the new religion as well as the Catholics. People were forced to wise up and be more careful because of syphilis. In France, an order from 1560 abolished the “bourdeaux”. However, the closure of the “bourdeaux” did not put an end to prostitution, as it meant that prostitutes were everywhere, no longer having a specific place to go. They were condemned to a clandestine existence. It was easier for them to roam the streets of the town as they no longer had to wear distinctive clothing; their public licence cost a lot more. Naturally the status of prostitution varied in accordance with the sovereign: Henri IV allowed certain houses to reopen so that the virtue of honest women was protected and his predecessor Henri III’s inclinations were not followed by young people. Louis XIII proved to be equally tolerant; that’s why around 1640, prostitution was accepted and was even in vogue among good society. On the other hand, Louis XIV took severe measures against prostitution, having prostitutes, clients and syphilis patients physically punished. Re-offenders were locked up in the “Maison de Force”, created by the King, so that they led an austere life of work and obedience.

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