The need for quality sexual service
appeared quite early in the history when the clientele from the high society
felt that interpersonal skills such as the ability to communicate in a pleasant
and intriguing manner often surpassed the importance of sexual skills. Of
course the female beauty was the most essential quality that grabbed the
attention, but it was no longer enough for educated males of developed society,
whose respect and adoration could be won only through intellectual properties
based on a physically attractive body.
Ancient times
The differentiation of sexual service
supply can be observed quite early in the human history, when such sex
providers started to turn up, first in the Greek society, who distinguished
themselves with their knowledge and abilities from the simple prostitutes
(pornai), and whose service included the marketing of their abilities and intellectual
knowledge, not only their bodies. The simple prostitutes, who were mostly
captives abducted from barbarian tribes, were then called “pornai”, who used to
sell their bodies either on the street or in brothels to a large number of
clients, but the so-called hetairai (the word means company, hence the name
escort) were mainly free women who were familiar with fine arts and would keep
a small number of clients, with whom they had an intimate intellectual and
sexual relations. The key role of the hetairai was to provide the guest with
interesting conversation, but for someone to be able to develop and maintain a
lively and interesting conversation it was necessary to be familiar with public
affairs and the fine arts, which provide a wealth of speech themes. Beyond excellent
communicative competence, these escorts – as we can name them as ancient escorts
from the sense that they would provide clients with company, as the Greek name
also refers to it – they were also
trained in music, and if they did not fascinate their clients with their
communicative skills, they did it with their music or vocal performance.
At that time other types of
sex-providers could also be found operating in sex-service sector that used to
work to entertain guests at male parties. They were called flute or harp or
lyre girls in the ancient sex industry, who were musically well-trained, but
their function was restricted merely to satisfying the sexual desire of guests
at these ancient celebrations and social gatherings apart from, of course,
providing music for the party guests.
But what is the reason why this high
class of ancient prostitutes develop in the Greek culture? In all likelihood,
because in the antique society women were despised due to their lack of
education, and after the founding of a family, some highly educated men had the
tendency to spend their free time in the company of educated, intelligent and
sexually attractive women after having lost their sexual interest in their
uneducated spouse. In addition, adultery committed with a free woman was severely
punished by the state, therefore antique men preferred to turn to prostitutes
where they could not only satisfy their excessive sexual desire but they also
had the chance to have a good conversation after the boredom they had at home.