Research On The Athens’s Trade Of Prostitution In The Classical Period

The Athenian prostitute trade in the classical period is a better view to know the history of the social life. As the center of political,economic,cultural,ideological field in Athens,the development and characteristics of the prostitute trade was unique,and as the same origin as most regions’s prostitute trade,it originated in religious prostitution,it fused the cultural concept and features of ancient Greece in the developmental process.In the Archaic Period,with the rise of the polis,the prostitution started to become popular instead of holy,the prostitute trade was established by the organ of authority with legislative forms.In the Classical Period, the prostitute trade ushered the vigorous development of the era,it has formed its own characteristics of development and a unique mode of operation,forming a prostitute community.lt produced a series of effects on the city and family.In the Late Antiquity, especially after the Peloponnesian War,the polis trended to go downhill,and the Athenian prostitute trade began to show some new characteristics,it mainly reflected in the status of prostitute enhancement and the polis’ collapse of value system.The preface,expounding the reasons for writing and the research on ancient Greek prostitute trade at domestic and foreign. Part 1 is the origin of prostitute trade in Ancient Greece,analysing the ancient Greek culture of prostitution from the religious prostitution and Hellenic concept of lust.Part 2 investigated the situation of prostitute trade became common instead of holy from the perspective of Athens prostitution’s performances and causes.Athens prostitution formation lied in the temple and prostitutes got profits by ancient traditions,the prostitute group appeared in the polis for living and Solon set up the state-owned brothels.Meanwhile,the reasons which promoted prostitutes walked into market were the cultural characteristics:the developments of social economy and the male supremacy of polis.Part 3 focused on combing the composition and classification of prostitute group the prostitutes divided into male and female.The female sources of prostitutes were exotic women and female slave,and the sources of male mostly were slaves and prisoners of war,but male or female citizens also had the potential to become a prostitute.The female prostitutes divided into three levels,and the male prostitutes divided into the prostitutes which were providing sexual services and be nurturing.Part 4 investigated the characteristics and influences of the prostitution development in the classical period.First of all, author combed the characteristics of the development of prostitute trade from the excellent operation mechanism of prostitute trade and the formation of prostitution community.Then,author analyzed the impact of prostitute trade from the city and family.Part 5 examined the new characteristics of prostitutes in the last classical age which were the improvement of the status of prostitutes and the collapse of the city-state value system.The causes of these new features related to decline closely in Athens which caused the change of moral conduct and ushered prostitutes went into the golden age.