Pompeii - Eroticism and Prostitution

Revision as of 12:05, 16 April 2013

Pompeii has a reputation for lasciviousness and was often a by-word for sex and prostitution but in reality the people were no more promiscuous than other roman towns and cities and the erotic artwork discovered in Pompeii were sources of art, titillation, fertility and lucky charms as well as some being deliberately explicit.

The many phallus symbols embedded in to the walls of walls of the city thoroughfares have been crudely analyzed as clever directional arrows pointing to Brothels or marking the brothels themselves. It is more likely that they symbolized both male dominance and prosperity. For instance the giant phallus found outside a bakery is accompanied by the slogan above it

Good fortune dwells here

Also outside the House of the Vettii a large painting of the god of fertility Priapus The family was wealthy and had a high reputation in the city so it is unlikely they would have painted this depiction if it was thought in any way unseemly.

Inside the houses in the public areas paintings often mixed food and wine with suggestive depictions of Pan, Venus and Mars. Most likely these were scenes designed to put visitors at ease and provide a little entertainment over dinner. More explicit scenes were reserved for the private ares of the house and in public Baths. The most graphic of these can be found and Suburban Baths where depictions of explicit sex, group sex, and homosexuality. These paintings were drawn above what looks like locker numbers. They could be suggestive of prostitution services but it is unlikely to be a Chinese menu of choice to choose from. The most innocent explanation is that it could be an aide memoir to where you had placed your clothes before entering the baths as well as a jokey cartoon scenes that the men could chat about while changing. However, it is not beyond speculation that a prostitute might be available in the vicinity of the Baths or outside. We do know that these explicit scenes were painted over before AD79 with non-erotic decoration.

Prostitution was tolerated but the girls were considered a low category of person. However, in theory any Pompeian could prostitute themselves or their slaves. They were taxed and regulated to a degree. Other women considered to be of a higher social status may have registered themselves as sex workers or actresses to avoid adultery laws. We can read in Suetonious's Lives of the Twelve Caesars that Women of ill-fame, divesting themselves of the rights and dignity of matrons, had now begun a practice of professing themselves prostitutes, to avoid the punishment of the laws. So the true number of prostitutes was swelled by those woman whose crime was adultery. However, at least one brothel has been positively identified and others only guessed at, and may have been located inside private houses. Prostitution was also a regular feature of the bars and inns of the city. A bill from Pompeii shows that a man was charged at an inn for wine, bread, gruel, a girl, and fodder for a mule. In fact if any woman showed up at one of these premises they may be considered as plying for trade. The brothel that has been identified is a slightly squalid building. Known as the Lupanar it was on two floors and had five small dark rooms with (presumably uncomfortable) masonry beds. Pictures of now faded explicit scenes can be found here along with graffiti from clients and prostitutes both attesting to the good time they had here with a girl or the girl (or boy) advertizing their services. The pictures were at best idealized fantasies of sex rather than the services offered. More likely the male clientele could get themselves in the mood while waiting for their turn. It is not known if the owner of the Lupanar was a pimp or whether the girls worked freely for him/her or perhaps, whether they were independent girls who paid rent to the owner so that they could carry out their business.

The names of the girls scrawled on the walls are often of foreign origin which may signify slavery or a desired for exotic girls from other countries. It is perhaps not unlikely that these girls may have been very young. The supply of girls may have been plentiful and the cost relatively cheap. The going rate was about two asses. The same as a loaf of bread or good quality drink. The clientele was mixed. May be visitors to the city may rent a girl or perhaps freedmen or the general male population would find gratification here. Wealthy men may have used their slaves girls for sex. The slaves were their property and would not have been discouraged but may not have been explicitly stated.

Prostitutes are described as wearing "showy garb" consisting of bright colors, a tunic showing part of their legs, and a toga (Gardner, 251). The clothing was often made of light material such as silk, which would cling to the body and leave little to the imagination. Prostitutes in Pompeii were also thought to have had faces that were heavily made up.

Women had weak support from the law and would find it difficult to make a claim against a man for sexual or other impropriety and pimps and prostitutes even less claim as they were believed to be unreliable witnesses to what had happened to them. In general prostitutes had less protection against sexual harassment than did “respectable women”. It is also stated that if a man accosted a virgin, but she was dressed like a prostitute, his offense would be lessened. those who place themselves in the position to be penetrated sexually place themselves in the position of having the boundaries of their bodies violated in other ways too. It is stated that their bodies might be beaten, mutilated, or violated with impunity (Hallet & Skinner). The most notable law regarding violence against prostitutes is that a man could not be charged for rape if it was against a prostitute.

Contraceptives and abortion were used by women of all social classes, but contraceptives were seen as safer than abortion (Shelton, 26). Contraception was overwhelmingly left to women. Techniques for contraception were numerous. Some were effective, most were not. e.g. The woman should hold her breath at ejaculation, and post-coitally squat, sneeze, and drink something cold. More effective was the rhythm method.

Abortion was chosen as an option by many prostitutes and women who thought that they could not afford a child. It was widely practiced. Different methods were available in order to cause the abortion which included drinking noxious potions and violent exertions to cause a miscarriage

Conclusion

The perception most Romans had regarding prostitution seems to be incredibly contradictory. On one hand prostitution was seen a necessary part of society that was extremely valuable to the preservation of marriage (Laurence, 71). On the other hand Roman laws and social customs put prostitution at the bottom rung of society (Flemming, 56).

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