An Investigative History to Determine the Age of Prostitution as a Profession

Prostitution or the world’s oldest profession as some may refer to it produces a strong response. Is it true that prostitution is indeed the world’s oldest profession? Although it is most probably a myth, the history behind the present idea of prostitution and that of the old age is quite interesting. They only way this can be true is if we look at it with the modern day perspective and modern-day ideas of money. The answer to the question of how old prostitution is is as complicated as it is enticing. This detailed article has given information about the profession, how it came to be and how it made it to the modern generation.

The first mentioning of prostitution is in ancient Sumerian records where it is said to be a potential career for women in that age. In ancient Mesopotamia however, there was a spiritual and religious element to this profession. There is evidence that hints that women did it as a part of a ritual. According to a Greek historian named Herodotus, women would wait at the doors of a temple and agree to have sex with any man who agreed to enter. After the task, the men would offer some money to the women who would then donate it to the temple. Some scholars have engaged in fired debated over this topic of sacred prostitution. This is attributed to the fact that the historian is not quite reliable as a source. It, however, hinges on the fact that sex and sexuality were both religious and sacred and celebrated by that age in that part. Fertility, which was highly valued, was also linked with this. Sex was believed top release holy and fertile energy according to historians.

There are a number of valid points on both sides but prostitution is viewed negatively due to Christianity. The idea of chastity that Christianity brought along created the taboo that even sex itself was victimized. The profession of prostitution has become stigmatized with time as these ideologies spread. In the Bible, the illegitimacy and ungodliness associated with the Roman empire has been referred to as the “Woman of Babylon”. The Bible addresses sex as something for married couples only. In medieval Europe however, brothels were a common thing. Prostitution was only under regulation and limited to specific parts of the city. Wives were not totally against the idea of prostitution at this time since it gave them the ability to say no to their husbands and send them elsewhere. It was the core of the government at that time hence the Catholic church maintained policies for prostitution back the.

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