Prostitutes and Matrons in the Roman World

From streetwalkers in the Roman Forum to imperial concubines, Roman prostitutes defined what it meant to be a 'bad girl'.

Anise K. Strong (Author)

9781316602645, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 20 December 2018

314 pages, 20 b/w illus. 5 maps
23 x 15 x 1.7 cm, 0.45 kg

'Her study demands that we ponder a more complex role for prostitutes in Roman society and reject their status as largely social and legal outcasts. This reader was particularly struck by Strong's parallelism between meretrices and freedmen as threatening on account of their social mobility. … Strong's contribution and what makes her work a worthwhile read are the questions she asks, the variety of evidence employed, as well as her comprehensive knowledge of the subject. I recommend her monograph to anyone interested in prostitution, gender, sexuality, women, and social and cultural history more broadly. It provokes new thought on an old profession.' Allison Glazebrook, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Prostitutes and Matrons in the Roman World is the first substantial account of elite Roman concubines and courtesans. Exploring the blurred line between proper matron and wicked prostitute, it illuminates the lives of sexually promiscuous women like Messalina and Clodia, as well as prostitutes with hearts of gold who saved Rome and their lovers in times of crisis. It also offers insights into the multiple functions of erotic imagery and the circumstances in which prostitutes could play prominent roles in Roman public and religious life. Tracing the evolution of social stereotypes and concepts of virtue and vice in ancient Rome, this volume reveals the range of life choices and sexual activity, beyond the traditional binary depiction of wives or prostitutes, that were available to Roman women.

Introduction
1. Faithful wives and greedy prostitutes
2. Good little prostitutes
3. Powerful concubines and influential courtesans
4. Matrona as Meretrix
5. Can you know a Meretrix when you see one?
6. Prostitutes and matrons in the urban landscape
7. Pious prostitutes
8. The 'whore' label in Western culture
Conclusion. Liminal women.

Subject Areas: Gender studies: women [JFSJ1], Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]