The Role Of Prostitution In The Roman Republic

Early laws set up by the Republic treated prostitutes as low class people, which influenced the way the people of Rome viewed them. The law named lex Iulia et papia, did not allow prostitutes or leno/a (s) to marry outside of ex-slaves. By creating this law, the government restricted prostitutes and they could not climb the social hierarchy. By placing them in these positions, it was easier for the Roman people to treat prostitutes as if they were not legal citizens. The law that started a shift on the view on prostitutes was the lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis. This law was enacted by Augustus which excluded prostitutes from the punishment of illicit sexual relations. This law covered topics such as adultery and “criminal fornication” but it unclear if it covers incest and rape. This law created an even further separation between everyday citizens and prostitutes. Regular people were expected to return to a more traditional and moral roles in society. The prostitution industry was allowed to continue in their ways. While this law caused many people to look down upon the prostitution industry, it also helped along the acceptance of prostitution as a legitimate profession. Augustus seems approving of the
Prostitution was highly popular until Caligula came into power. However, they were still looked down upon for their unmoral profession. The creation of this lax law and the enacted of it made people alter their view on the profession. A professor named Thomas McGinn, states these string of events helped legitimize prostitution through Caligula creating a profit from the industry. By taxing the sex industry, Caligula had given prostitution more approval than Augustus. Caligula reclassified prostitution as legitimate business because he not only taxed the sex workers but also taverns, food, slaves, and