“The Sumerian word for female prostitute, kar.kid, occurs in the earliest lists of professions dating back to ca. 2400 B.C. Since it appears right after nam.lukur… one can assume its connection with temple service. It is of interest that the term kur-garru, a male prostitute or transvestite entertainer, appears on the same list but together with entertainers. This linkage results from a practice connected with the cult of Ishtar, in which transvestites performed acts using knives. On the same list we find the following female occupations: lady doctor, scribe, barber, cook. Obviously, prostitution, while it is a very old profession, is not the oldest.”
As most of us are aware, sexuality and personal kink are as deeply complex and contradictory as the industries that surround them. Just as those who work within its realms are today, the sex, kink and titillation workers of the recent and distant past have found themselves treated and perceived in a huge variety of ways, each depending on the circumstances of the individual him or herself and the socio-religious norms and prejudices of the time and place. Often, our jobs give us the sort of intimacy and access to a client’s hidden selves beyond the reach of even spouse, therapist or priest. This makes our profession unique. We all fall within spectra of profane or sacred, vilified or venerated, abused or adored. Sometimes, this intimacy has allowed us to assert influence beyond the usual boundaries drawn by our class or gender:
“Apasia, was a hetaira, one of the highly educated women from eastern Greece who entertained and accompanied men in many of their festivals, often including sex. As the mistress of Perikles, a principal ruler of Athens in the mid-fifth century B.C.E., Aspasia’s influence on the Athenian leader was reputedly enormous; at various times his policies and speeches were ascribed to her.”
For the whole timeline at ProCon, as well as its references and sources, click here.
