Explore the Fascinating History and Modern Era of the Whorehouse
For many, the term whorehouse conjures up visions of seedy disrepute and unseemly dealings, but these images belie the fascinating history and the implications of this ancient profession. With its earliest roots harking back to the original brothels in Mesopotamia and ancient Greece, the whorehouse has gone through many incarnations, prospered, and been accepted at various points in history. In modern times, however, its status is somewhat more ambiguous and conflicted, as its legal and moral standing can vary from place to place.
To fully understand such a complex subject, it is important to put the modern debate into historical perspective. In its ancient beginnings, the whorehouse was widely adopted in various societies as a legitimate profession of sorts. Ancient Mesopotamians accepted the presence of concubines and prostitutes in their cities, though these women were considered to have a low social status and did not typically enjoy the same rights as their male counterparts. In Ancient Egypt, the oldest existing whorehouses have been traced back to the Middle Kingdom, and were most likely an integral part of both male and female sexuality.
The oldest written reference to a whorehouse comes from Ancient Greece, in the 5th century BC, when a law was created which stipulated that all cities should have an official public expenditures fund to finance prostitutes for soldiers. This law was known as the “melos” and, although it only applied to the military, it provides an insight into the attitude towards whorehouses in general during this time period.
Moving forward in time, the Roman Empire was also known for its liberal attitude towards sex, and consequently whorehouses flourished in many Roman cities. Though the perception of their status remained the same, with prostitutes generally having a low social position, they were a competitive business, and in some places, laws were created to ensure the health and hygiene of customers.
In medieval Europe, the opposite was true – the status of whorehouses declined severely and new restrictions and penalties were created to curb their continued existence. After this period, attitudes towards whorehouses began to vary from place to place, with some regions still outlawing them while others allowed them to operate – albeit with significantly more restrictions on the activities that could take place within them.
In modern times, attitudes towards the profession have remained complex and controversial. In certain countries, such as the US, prostitution is legalized in certain states but only in the form of licensed brothels, which operate under certain rules and regulations. Other countries – such as the UK- have a blanket ban under their legal systems, making the availability of any kind of organized prostitution illegal.
What is certainly clear is that the role of the whorehouse has continued to exist in some form throughout its long history. Whether we choose to condemn or condone it, it remains a fact that the profession has existed for thousands of years and that perhaps the best way to understand it is to examine it in the context of each particular historical era. Exploring the In the complexities of its history itself
can provide valuable insights into our own views and opinions on the subject of prostitution today.
