Sensational Lives of Ancient Courtesans

One day, the 19^th century courtesan Esther Guimond was traveling through Naples when she was stopped for a routine examination of her passport. When asked her profession, she quietly and discreetly told the official that she was a woman of independent means. Seeing the puzzled look on the official’s face, she exasperatedly declared, “Courtesan! Take care to remember it!”. Then, perhaps feeling somewhat liberated by this word coming out of her own mouth, she told him audaciously to “go and tell that Englishman over there.” On her death certificate of 1845, Harriette Wilson, the famous British Regency courtesan and mistress of significant and very public men such as Major-General William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven,  and statesman Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, is discreetly described as a “woman of independent means.”

A courtesan is a paramour of society’s wealthy and elite men. She entices her client not only with her beauty and seductive qualities, but also with her education, talents, and charm. For a high fee, a courtesan would entertain as well as providing companionship to the man she is with such as accompanying him to a social event in place of his wife. These women came from a variety of backgrounds. Some grew up impoverished and moved to a town where they learned to “sell” themselves, not just for sex, but as a woman with much more to offer. Others were actresses who continued to perform both on and off the stage. She may begin as an assistant or companion to another courtesan to learn the trade, or she may begin as a mistress to a wealthy man. As women began to realize the degree of freedom and independence of becoming a courtesan, widows, divorcees, and even upper-class women sought out the courtesan lifestyle. A very successful courtesan could be very wealthy and even host parties in their own homes. The life of a courtesan was considered opulent. However, even when the courtesan was no longer considered young, beautiful, and desirable, some women retained many clients through their knowledge and engaging personalities. Others who did not fare as well faded into obscurity, perhaps marrying or retiring into an ordinary existence.  

The Seductive Talents of the Courtesans

As courtesans operate in hierarchical societies, societies that emphasize court cultures, they are well-worth studying for their arts as well as their roles as indicators of political and social change. They are frequently among the most important stewards of artistic traditions and creativity. Courtesans were an important part of the social fabric in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as most places in the Far East and South Asia. Some ancient courtesans were among the best-educated, literate, and cultured women of their time. They composed and performed music, as well as painted and danced. They provided intelligent conversation, artistic pleasure as well as to elite men. The cultivated courtesan was a very refined, educated woman. She was a respected woman of status and wealth. She was, of course, also erotically desirable as sex was an important part of the life of a courtesan. A “public woman,” according to the Kama Sutra, should be skilled in 64 arts, including singing, musical instruments, dancing, writing, drawing, magic, tailoring, carpentry, architecture and chemistry. She can hold a conversation with men on an equal footing. She is also always respected by the king and sought after by learned men, and because her favour is sought after by all, she becomes a universally admired figure.

In sex-segregated ancient Greece, where women citizens were otherwise largely hidden indoors, courtesans were able to roam free in public. In fact, they appear to have lived in a world of men rather than women, with the autonomy, power and respect that comes with her status. Even philosophers are not above mixing with courtesans. Socrates, the philosopher, may have learned some rhetorical skills from Aspasia, a very well-educated courtesan. Aspasia went on to attract the attention of the Athenian politician Pericles. After he divorced his first wife, Pericles married her.  

Lais of Corinth, who lived around 425 BC, was an ancient Greek hetaira (courtesan). Her clients included the philosopher Aristippus, who allegedly wrote two books about her, and Olympic champion Eubotas of Cyrene. Another courtesan named Lais was Lais of Hyccara. Demosthenes, for example, was said to have offered 1,000 Greek drachmas for a night with her. However, after seeing him, Lais raised her price to 10,000 drachmas while giving herself to Diogenes for free.  Later, Lais fell in love with Hippostratus or Hippolochus, a Thessalian who brought her to Thessaly. Out of jealousy, Thessalian women allegedly lured her into the temple of Aphrodite and stoned her to death. She was laid to rest on the banks of Peneus.

Courtesans and the Arts

Athenaeus tells us many stories extoling the beauty of the fourth century BC hetaira Phryne.  The sculptor Praxiteles, who was also Phyrne’s client, used her as a model for the statue of Aphrodite of Knidos, the first naked statue of a woman in ancient Greece. After the city of Kos, who had originally commissioned the statue, objected to the statue being nude, the city of Knidos purchased it. The statue became such a popular tourist attraction that the city managed to pay off its entire debt.

According to Athenaeus, Phryne was possibly the richest self-made woman of her time. She became so wealthy that she offered to fund the reconstruction of Thebes’ walls, which had been destroyed by Alexander the Great in 336 BC, on the condition that the words “Destroyed by Alexander, restored by Phryne the courtesan” be inscribed on them. However, according to Diodorus Siculus, the Athenians rebuilt the majority of the wall, with Macedonian king Cassander providing additional financial assistance later. He says nothing about Phryne’s alleged offer.

Phyrne was, according to Athenaeus, tried for treason and defended by the great orator Hypereides (c. 390 – 322 BC) who was a leader of the Athenian resistance to King Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. Hypereides was also linked to Lycurgus and Demosthenes in exposing pro-Macedonian sympathies and known for prosecuting Philippides of Paiania for his pro-Macedonian measures and his decree in honoring Alexander the Great. He was also, allegedly, one of Phyrne’s many clients. When it appeared that the verdict would be unfavorable to Phyrne, Hypereides stripped off her robe and bared her breasts in front of the judges in order to arouse their pity. As her beauty instilled superstitious fear in the judges, who could not bring themselves to execute “a prophetess and priestess of Aphrodite,” they decided to acquit her. The phrase “a prophetess and priestess of Aphrodite” could imply that Phryne attended the Aphrodisia festival on Aegina. If this were true, it would have demonstrated to the jurors that she was favored by the goddess and deserving of mercy. Furthermore, it was widely accepted at the time that women were particularly capable of eliciting the sympathy of the judges. For such purposes, to show their vulnerability or arouse compassion, mothers and children could be brought to court and bared their breasts – thus the act of breast-baring was not restricted to prostitutes or courtesans.

In around 500 BC India, Amrapali was a famous nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of the republic of Vaishali (located in present-day Bihar). Born between 600 and 500 BC, Amrapali grew up to be a lady of charm who was gifted in a variety of arts. When the king of Vaishali, King Manudev, saw Amrapali perform a dance in the city, he devised a plan to possess her. He murdered Amrapali’s childhood love and would-be-groom, Pushpakumar, on the day of their wedding, and then made an official announcement declaring Amrapali as “Vaishali’s bride” in other word, the Nagarvadhu. She was also given the title of Vaishali Janpad Kalayani, a title that is given to the most beautiful and talented girl in the kingdom for a seven-year period. With her new status as the Nagarvadhu, Amrapali effectively became the kingdom’s bride – she had the right to choose her clients/lovers, but she could never be committed to any one man.

Amrapali gained the title of Rajanartiki, or court dancer, after being declared a Nagarvadhu. Her talent and beauty drew so many men that Vaishali’s glory during this period is frequently attributed to Amrapali’s fame. Amrapali’s art cost fifty Karshapanas per night to see, and her treasury grew much larger than the treasuries of some kings.

Stories about her beauty reached Bimbisara, king of the hostile neighboring kingdom of Magadha. He attacked Vaishali and sought refuge in Amrapali’s home. Bimbisara was a himself a talented musician. Amrapali and Bimbisara quickly fell in love. When Amrapali discovered his true identity, she asked Bimbisara to leave and end his war. Bimbisara, enamored by her, did as she requested. This incident turned him into a coward in the eyes of the people of Vaishali. Amrapali later gave birth to a son by him named Vimala Kondanna.

Buddhist stories of Amrapali tell us that she had the opportunity to serve food to the Buddha during his final visit to Vaishali, shortly before his death. Amrapali heard his sermon in a nearby grove and was so moved by it that she invited him to her quarters for a meal. According to another version of the story, the Buddha sought refuge in her mango groves and was visited by Amrapali, who bowed to him and then extended the invitation. The Buddha silently agreed to her proposal.  On her way home, Amrapali’s chariot collided with that of Vaishali’s princely nobles, who were also on their way to invite the Buddha to dinner. The nobles scold her  and ask her, a woman of ill repute, to step aside and allow her superiors to pass. Amrapali then announces that the Buddha is coming to her house for dinner. The nobles were irritated and offered her gold in exchange for the honour of hosting the Buddha, but she refused. Buddha declines them as well, having already made a commitment to Amrapali.

When the time came, Amrapali welcomed the Buddha and her entourage in her opulent residence, which had been specially decorated for the occasion. Such as the wealth she commanded that her house was no less than a king’s palace. She offered the Buddha and his order her entire estate, including her groves, which became the site of several mindfulness sermons, at the end of the meal. Soon after, she resigned as a courtesan, accepted the Buddhist way of life and became an active supporter of the Buddhist order. She later attained the status of arahant by following the Buddha’s teachings and devoted the rest of her life to the welfare of the poor. In Buddhism, an arhat or arahant refers to a person who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved nirvana. Amrapali’s son, Vimala Kondanna, grew up to become a Buddhist monk and a respected elder. Amrapali is mentioned in ancient Pali texts and Buddhist traditions (gama sutras).

Courtesans on the Seat of Power

Living in 4^th century BC, Thais was a well-known Greek hetaira who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns in Asia. After a party, Alexander burned down the palace of Persepolis, the main residence of the defeated Achaemenid dynasty, in 330 BC. Thais was present at the party and delivered a speech that persuaded Alexander to burn down the palace. Ancient historians have varying guesses on Alexander’s motive. Cleitarchus claims that the destruction was done by Alexander on a whim, while Plutarch and Diodorus claim that it was in retaliation for Xerxes’ burning of the old Temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens during the Persian Wars in 480 BC. Thais is then cast as the temptress and bad influence to Alexander. In Ovid’s Remedia Amoris (383-386), Thais is contrasted with Andromache, with Andromache being the epitome of the loyal wife and Thas being the epitome of sex. He writes “Who could tolerate Thais playing the part of an Andromache? And whoever plays Andromache like a Thais commits a sin.”

Later, in 73 BC Rome, Praecia was a high-class courtesan known for her wide net of high-profile clients among the political elite and for using her contacts to benefit her clients’ political careers. This made her a popular and valuable figure in contemporary political life. One known example of her activity was when her client, politician Lucius Licinius Lucullus asked her to ask her other client Publius Cornelius Cethegus to appoint him to the post of governor of Caria.

All the way in China, Li Ye (713  – 784 AD) was a Tang dynasty courtesan, musician, poet and nun. She was born in Wuxing in present-day Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. Li Ye is known as the “Four Great Female Poets of the Tang Dynasty” along with Xue Tao (768 – 831 AD), Yu Xuanji (844  – 871 AD) and Liu Caichun. Legend has it that when Li Ye was six years old, she wrote a complete poem. Hearing this poem, her father was impressed. But he also thought if she could write such a poem, his daughter could grow up to become an unchaste woman and would never marry.

As a result, when Li Ye was eleven years old, her parents sent her to Yuzhenguan to train as a female Taoist priest. In her spare time, she read and wrote poems in the temple. Li was recognized as a poet laureate when she reached middle age by Emperor Daizong of Tang, who summoned her to the court after learning of her literary talent. She stayed in the palace for about a month and was lavishly treated by the emperor. She, on the other hand, preferred her previous carefree life and was allowed to return to the temple.

Zhu Ci, a rebel leader, captured Chang’an and ascended to the throne in 783 AD. Li was forced to write poems that denigrated the Tang imperial house. The following year, Zhu was defeated, and Daizong’s successor, Emperor Dezong, returned to Chang’an. Dezong charged Li with treason because of her anti-Tang poetry. In 784, she was sentenced to death and executed.

Wang Shishi was a Song dynasty courtesan. Li Shishi’s mother died soon after she was born. Her father kept her alive by feeding her bean starch. Wang Yin, her father, worked in a clothing pigment factory in Bianjing. Li’s father was imprisoned when she was four years old for delaying an Imperial textile order. He died in prison later on. Li was initially placed in an orphanage, but was later adopted by a procuress named Li Yun, who ran a brothel. Li Shishi was taken to Jinqian Xiang’s entertainment district and forced to work as a prostitute.

Li Shishi was known for her beauty and artistic abilities, and among her admirers were the renowned poet and bureaucrat Zhou Bangyan and the outlaw Song Jiang. Her fame spread to the Emperor, Huizong, who paid her a visit disguised as a businessman in 1109. Her allure and elegance compelled him to pay her visits after the meeting.

In 1126, Huizong abdicated in favor of his eldest son Zhao Huan after accepting responsibility for massive losses during the Jin–Song Wars (Emperor Qinzong). Recognizing her precarious position, Li Shishi donated all of Huizong’s gifts to the army, which was putting up a valiant defense, and requested permission from the Emperor to become a Taoist nun. The Jin army took over Bianjing in 1127. Huizong and his court were captured, and Huizong died, bringing the Northern Song dynasty to an end. Li is said to have fled south, and she may have committed suicide after being offered to Jin commander by swallowing a gold hairpin.