What lupanaria looked like - ancient brothels. Don’t trust unfamiliar Italians: how I ended up in a brothel in Rome “And I didn’t squander that kind of money...”

To summarize, we can say that in ancient Rome women did not have civil rights and were formally suspended from participation in government affairs. Their position was not as low as in Ancient Greece. Roman women enjoyed relative freedom - they could appear in society, go on visits, and attend receptions. The family life of Roman women was also different from the life of Greek women. The participation of Roman women in public life was common.

Women from the upper classes understood political issues and were able to defend their rights. They influenced the political life of the republic, and later the empire: deprived of the right to vote, Roman women campaigned for one candidate or another, contributed to the adoption of certain decisions and laws at meetings. The role of women in religious cult was significant. The Vestals were highly respected and honored in Roman society. Roman women had more opportunities to get an education than Greek women. During the era of the empire, many women were interested in literature, art, and studied history and philosophy.

In ancient times, in archaic society, there was an idea of ​​the ideal type of woman as the embodiment of Roman virtues - steadfastness of character, hard work, respect for honor. Chastity, modesty, purity of soul, and marital fidelity were respected. Among married Roman women, noble matrons, wives and mothers in patrician families enjoyed special honor.

Chapter 2. Prostitution in ancient Roman society

2.1. The Origins of Prostitution in Ancient Rome

In ancient Rome, as in other places where slavery flourished, slaves could be used at will because they were private property. Prostitution also flourished in Ancient Rome.

Prostitutes were not only women, but also men who were engaged in homosexual and heterosexual prostitution, working in brothels, taverns and other establishments.

Most prostitutes came from slaves and slaves who worked this way under the compulsion of the owner, or as freedmen who earned their living.

Courtesans were called bonae meretrices, which indicated their higher perfection in the craft, they were also dancers, sang, knew how to play the flute, cithara, and were respected persons. They had privileged (permanent) lovers, and also exerted their influence on fashion, art, and literature.

Inside the Roman brothel "lupanar" ( lupanar) was divided into cramped closets. Tariffs in street brothels and on the streets were very low. Suetonius writes that since the reign of Caligula, the state has taken a tax from prostitutes. 1

To pay for the services of prostitutes, special tokens - spintrii - were often used.

Lupanarium is a brothel in Ancient Rome, located in a separate building. The name comes from the Latin word for she-wolf (lat. lupa) - this is what prostitutes were called in Rome. 1

The extent of the prevalence of prostitution in Roman cities can be judged by the example of Pompeii, where 25-34 premises used for prostitution were discovered (separate rooms are usually above wine shops), and one two-story lupanarium with 10 rooms.

However, in Pompeii they tried not to advertise such places of “consolation”.

A low and inconspicuous door led from the street to the lupanarium. Visitors were guided by arrows in the form of a phallic symbol, carved directly into the pavement stones. They made their way into the lupanarium after dark, hiding behind their hoods pulled low. A special pointed headdress hid the face of a noble client of the brothel.

The inhabitants of the lupanarii received guests in small rooms painted with frescoes of erotic content. Otherwise, the furnishings of these tiny rooms were extremely simple; in essence, it was one narrow stone bed about 170 cm long, which was covered with a mattress on top. At the request of the authorities, all women prostitute They wore red belts raised to the chest and tied at the back.

We indicated above that special tokens - spintrii - were used to pay for services provided. 2

Spintrias were known in the same way as brothel brands. Most spintrii were minted in bronze. They are characterized by an erotic plot. As a rule, this is an image of people in various poses during sexual intercourse, a naked man, a winged phallus, copulating animals. The most common plot is sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. On the reverse side of the token there are usually various Roman numerals (I to XX), the meaning of which is not precisely established. 1

However, the meaning this term ambiguous.

Despite the generally accepted version of the use of these tokens in brothels, hypotheses are also put forward that spintrii were used as gambling tokens, and may also have been issued during the time of Tiberius to discredit the imperial power. In Suetonius, the word spintria is also called bisexuals, whose infatuation was attributed to Tiberius in Capri. Suetonius also reports that Caligula expelled them from Rome and Italy; In addition, Aulus Vitellius, who also spent his youth in Capri, received the shameful nickname Spintrius.

Speaking about prostitution in Ancient Rome, it is impossible not to refer to the work of Johann Bloch “The History of Prostitution” 2. From this book we can get more complete information about the situation of prostitutes, types of prostitution in ancient Roman society, how this topic is covered in Roman law and how this phenomenon was treated in society.

A prostitute, according to Roman law 3, is a woman who unlimitedly satisfies the general public demand for sexual pleasure. And all women who have sexual intercourse with many men, publicly or secretly, in a brothel or elsewhere, for reward or without it, with voluptuousness or coldly, indiscriminately - they are all prostitutes.

The category of prostitutes also includes, of course, those women who, through seduction or violence, encourage others to sell themselves: procurers, mistresses of brothels and pleasure bars.

If we put all these facts together, we get the following comprehensive definition: a woman who, for the purpose of obtaining money, or without such a purpose, publicly or secretly sells herself or other women to many men indiscriminately, is a prostitute.

This is the classic definition of prostitution under Roman law, 1 which was also used by later jurists.

Lupanar in Pompeii

Most prostitutes came from slaves and male slaves, who worked this way under the compulsion of the owner, or as freedmen who earned their living (lat. mulier, quae palam corpore quaestum facit, official name).

Inside a Roman brothel "lupanarium" ( lupanar) was divided into cramped closets. For example, the lupanarium, discovered during excavations in Pompeii in 1862 and located in the center of the city, consisted of a ground floor and a ground floor; in the ground floor there were five narrow rooms surrounding the vestibule, each with an area of ​​2 square meters. m., with a bed built into the wall, with drawings and inscriptions of erotic content. Opposite the entrance there was a latrine, and in the vestibule there was a partition for the gatekeeper. The rooms had no windows, only a door to the corridor, so even during the day a fire had to be lit. The decoration of the rooms was primitive and consisted of a blanket on the floor or a bed with a blanket woven from reeds. Probably, prostitutes did not live in brothels permanently, but only came for a certain time, statutory. Each prostitute received a separate room for the night with her nickname included in the prostitution lists, or “title,” marked on the door. Another sign indicated whether the room was occupied.

Visiting hours for brothels began at 3 pm and lasted until the morning. Time limits were set by law so that young people did not start visiting these institutions in the morning, neglecting gymnastics.

The price of prostitutes' services varied; Thus, in Pompeii the price at one time varied from 2 to 23 asses.

Women of this profession had their own holiday - Vinalia, which was celebrated on April 23 at the Collin Gate and was dedicated to the goddess Venus.

Legislative regulation

Roman laws regarding prostitution strictly enforced the principle of registration and regulation. The functions of the morality police were assigned to the aediles, who supervised taverns, bathhouses, and brothels and conducted searches there in order to identify unregulated prostitutes and uncover other abuses. All women engaged in prostitution were obliged to declare themselves to the aedile in order to receive permission to do this activity, and their names were entered in a special book. After recording, the woman changed her name. From the writings of Martial and inscriptions in Pompeii, such professional names of prostitutes as Dravka, Itonusia, Lais, Fortunata, Liciska, Thais, Leda, Philenis and others are known. The law also applied to clothing. After registering and changing their name, prostitutes were deprived of the right to wear jewelry befitting honest women. While matrons wore a costume called stola, prostitutes wore shorter tunics with togas over them dark color. Matrons convicted of adultery also wore togas, but white. Subsequently, the differences in clothing between prostitutes and other women were smoothed out.

IF YOU ARE A PERSON OF MATURE AGE AND AN IMPACTABLE REPUTATION, THEN THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU.

The Archaeological Museum of Naples has a secret cabinet where sexual frescoes, mosaics, sculptures and household items are collected. Collection of the Secret Cabinet, founded in 1819 , contains frescoes, reliefs, slabs with texts and other objects erotic and pornographic character discovered in Pompeii.

Previously, only a narrow circle of people were allowed to view the collection. The office was opened to the public several times, but always for a short time, and the final opening took place only in 2000

Votive items in the Secret Office.

The dry rationality of the aesthetics of classicism did not jibe with many Pompeian finds, especially those made in the city lupanarium. Among the “inconvenient” objects for display were frescoes and inscriptions of Priapea, sculptural scenes of sodomy and bestiality, and phallic-shaped household utensils.

"Priapus with Caduceus"

Scientists were at a loss as to what to do with the Pompeii " pornography "until the issue was resolved in 1819 by the Sicilian king Francesco I , who visited the excavation sites accompanied by his wife and daughter. The monarch was so outraged by what he saw that he demanded that all the “seditious” items be taken to the capital and locked in the Secret Office.

In 1849, the door to the office was blocked with bricks, then access to it was still open to “persons mature age and impeccable reputation."

In Pompeii itself, frescoes that were not subject to dismantling, but offended public morality, were covered with curtains, which were allowed to be lifted only for a fee for males.

This practice existed back in the 1960s. At the end of the 1960s. An attempt was made to “liberalize” the exhibition regime and transform the Secret Cabinet into a public museum, but it was stopped by conservatives. The office was open to the public only for a short time.

The Secret Cabinet, as one of the latest manifestations of censorship, was perceived ambiguously, and its contents caused a lot of speculation. In 2000, it was finally opened to the public by adults. Written parental permission is required for teenagers to visit. In 2005, the collection of the Secret Cabinet was finally transferred to the management National Museum archeology.

There was a lupanarium in Pompeii.

Lupanarium(Also lupanar, lat. lupānar or lupānārium) - a brothel in Ancient Rome located in a separate building. The name comes from the Latin word for she-wolf ( lat. lupa) - this is what prostitutes were called in Rome.

It was discovered in 1862 and has been restored several times since then. The last restoration was completed in 2006, the penultimate one in 1949. It is a two-story building with five cubiculas (bedrooms) on each floor. In the hallway, the walls near the ceiling are covered with frescoes of an erotic nature. In the lower floor cubicles there are stone beds (covered with mattresses) and graffiti on the walls

In addition to the lupanarium, there were at least 25 single rooms in the city intended for prostitution, often located above wine shops. The cost of this type of service in Pompeii was 2-8 asses. The staff was represented mainly by slaves of Greek or Oriental origin.

Bed in the lupanaria.

The inhabitants of the lupanarii received guests in small rooms painted with frescoes of erotic content. Otherwise, the furnishings of these tiny rooms were extremely simple; in essence, it was one narrow stone bed about 170 cm long, which was covered with a mattress on top.

At the request of the authorities, everything women lung They wore red belts, called mamillare, raised to the chest and tied at the back..

One of the frescoes from the Lupanarium.

In Pompeii, they tried not to advertise such placesA low and inconspicuous door led from the street to the lupanarium. However, finding lupanarium was not difficult even for visiting traders and sailors.

Visitors were guided by arrows in the form phallic symbol carved directly into the pavement stones.

They made their way into the lupanarium after dark, hiding behind their hoods pulled low. A special pointed headdress called the cuculus nocturnus (night cuckoo)), hid the face of a noble brothel client. There is a mention of this item in Juvenal in the story of the adventure Messalina

To make love, the women of Pompeii collected their hair in complex hairstyles and never went completely naked. Bracelets, rings and necklaces are visible in the frescoes. Pompeian women already practiced depilation, wore bras and even... bras

Italian journalist Alberto Angela, believes that in Ancient Pompeii the inhabitants simply lived a full-blooded life according to the principle “seize the moment and enjoy life.”

An Italian journalist claims that the reason for this was “life, short and intense, like a dream.” Life expectancy in Ancient Pompeii was 41 years for men and 29 years for women. An ancient Roman deity who personified life,Kairos, was presented in the form of a young man with wings - he will fly away and you won’t catch him!

Therefore, everything that gave pleasure - love, sex, food, jewelry, feasting and dancing - was the subject of lust and the pursuit of pleasure.

The Pompeians and Pompeian women used love potions, love elixirs, sex toys, artificial phalluses carved from wood and covered with leather. Infertile women used the services of surrogate mothers. There were special areas for filming - circuses, forums, thermal baths.

According to Alberto Angel, in Ancient Pompeii there was “a refined, refined society, distinguished by refined taste, passions, emotions... just one example is enough: while the ancient Romans already used a contraceptive infusion prepared from the silphio plant, which no longer exists in the present time, the barbarian Gauls still kept the heads of their slain enemies in their house!”

Amulets.

Marble figurine depicting the copulation of the ancient Greek god Pan with a goat. Found during excavations of the luxurious Villa of the Papyri.

Pan- ancient Greek god shepherding and cattle breeding, fertility and wild nature, the cult of which has Arcadian origin. According to the Homeric hymn, he was born with goat legs, a long beard and horns, and immediately upon birth began to jump and laugh.

Frightened by the child's unusual appearance and character, the mother left him, but Hermes , wrapped it in hare skins, took it to Olympus and before that he amused all the gods, and especially Dionysus by the appearance and liveliness of his son, that the gods named him Pan, since he brought everyonegreat joy.

Materials from open Internet sites were used.

DEAR READERS, I hope you will be correct and well-mannered in your comments.

Bust of Solone, Archaeological Museum of Naples

It is believed that already in the 6th century BC. lawyer and poet Solone(Athens 638 BC - 558 BC) founded the first brothels in Greece - there, for money, beautiful slaves entertained clients and paid taxes to the state. Solon's Laws concerning marriage - the right of a woman in the event of her husband's impotence to remarry his closest relative, the limitation of the dowry (3 dresses and some dishes) to avoid arranged marriages and the permission of women to scratch, fight and cry loudly during funeral rites. Along with this, permission to kill the wife's lover, a 100 drachma fine for rape and the right to sell one's sister and daughter in case of adultery.

Ancient Rome

Demosthenes in the 4th century reported that women are divided into three categories - wives give birth to legitimate offspring, concubines serve the man, and mistresses entertain. The goddess Juno personified the mother and wife, Minerva - the entrepreneur woman, Venus - the object of desire.

Looks like the oldest prostitute in ancient Rome, known to us, was Flora during the time of Anco Marzio (675 BC - 616 BC). She was deified and in her honor there were banquets and performances with naked female mimes. In ancient Rome, prostitutes were called flava coma, due to the fact that they were blondes. They dressed in short tunics yellow color. Often on the soles of their sandals the carnations spelled out the words follow me and left such an imprint on the ground.

Antique vessel depicting hetaeras with clients

In Imperial Rome (from the 1st century BC) the number of prostitutes was 35 thousand, at some times the number of male prostitutes (“Greek sin”) outnumbered women. Brothels were called lupanari, from the name of the prostitutes who wandered around the cities like magnifying wolves. The legend about the founding of Rome says that Romulus and Remo were nursed by a she-wolf - Lupa, and raised by the shepherd's wife Akka Larentia, who was a prostitute - Lupa.

Prostitutes differed in level of payment and place of work - quadrontari cost a quarter of an ace, kopae worked for a glass of wine. Job titles - rostibula attracted clients near the stables, bustiary- in cemeteries, tabernaria- in taverns, castides- in houses, forari- along the roads, forniches- under bridges, arches and on hippodromes. Name meretrix received by prostitutes who worked after lunch. The same name was preserved for prostitutes during the Renaissance in different territories of Italy. Delicate e famozae were educated and entertained sophisticated clients, they were allowed to wear colorful, light or transparent clothes to show off a beautiful body. Magnifiers attracted by peculiar howling sounds, scorta erratica they traveled in a man's toga with open knees and dyed their hair red. Blitidae They worked in osterias and got their name from the cheapest wine they sold there. At the lowest level were diobolari- low-grade and cheap, they worked in slums and poorest neighborhoods. Have you noticed that there are no names for the prostitutes who work in the thermal baths?

In fact, scientists are still not sure that they were allowed to work in the thermal baths. The only find in the baths of Pompeii can confirm the version of the supporters of brothels in the baths. In the common locker rooms (the baths were visited according to a schedule - in the morning for women, from 14:00 for men) 16 erotic pictures were found on the walls. Among them are an image of a naked poet and a lesbian scene with two female lovers (this is the only such image from the Roman era that has come down to us). Some scholars suggest that such scenes were purely decorative or even ironic for the entertainment of visitors, while others suggest that they were a “catalog” of services provided by male and female slave caretakers. It is possible that the owners did not register the brothel so as not to violate existing prohibitions, but they provided services in the rooms at the top of the thermal baths. For violating the law regarding underground brothels, the punishments were severe for citizens of the Empire - shame and deprivation of the right to vote in elections.

Valeria Messalina (25 - 48)

Prostitutes of the highest rank worked for their own pleasure - often they were noble matrons under false names - Faustina, Julia. Third wife of Emperor Claudius Valeria Messalina(25 - 48) visited brothels, where she served clients under the name Lichiska. She was called "the most august prostitute." Messalina came to the brothel with gilded nipples, eyes circled with black paint and received sailors and gladiators for several hours a day. Pliny the Elder wrote that she won a competition with the most famous prostitute; the “invincible” Messalina served 25 clients per day. Juvenal wrote about her “tired, but not satisfied...” (note, the sources were written by supporters of her husband’s political opponents, so exaggerations are possible; there was black PR in those days). Read the article built on the site of the murder of Messalina.

Many slave prostitutes could eventually become free and buy themselves from the owner; of course, this applied to the beautiful, educated and talented women. In the city of Pompeii, with a population of about 10 thousand inhabitants, there were about 25-30 brothels, but only one building was specially built for a lupanarium. In Rome, with its population of millions, we are told about 44-46 lupanaria brothels of the 1st century. The rest were not counted because they were not registered so as not to pay taxes. Many brothels were located above taverns, with rooms where prostitutes worked and in inns along the roads. The owner of the lupanarium kept 2-3 slave prostitutes or (and) rented out rooms to free women - meretrics.

Tokens for paying for services in lupanariums

Prostitution was common in all Roman cities, but was considered a shameful occupation, on a par with actors and moneylenders. Patricians, visiting brothels, used wigs and masks so as not to be recognized. Around the 1st century, due to the ban on bringing money to the lupanaria, special coins with the image of the emperor were issued sprint. Erotic tesseras are tokens for certain services in lupanariums (now this is a real rarity for numismatists). On one side there were 15 images of various sexual services, and on the other side there were numbers from 1 to 16. The letter A was sometimes written near the numbers 2, 3 and 8. It is assumed that the numbers indicated the value in asses (hence the letter A on the coins). So number 16 was worth 1 denarius. The coins were made of bronze or brass and were the same size as a modern 1 euro coin.

Tokens - sprints for sexual services in lupanaria

Registration was mandatory for prostitutes; they did not have the right to keep their family name; of course, no sanitary control was organized. The lupanaria were stuffy and dark, and a basin of water in the room did not protect against sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies.

Lupanarium in Pompeii

Roman women often resorted to abortion in case of unwanted pregnancy, or killing the newborn, or throwing it away (we are talking not only about prostitutes, but also free women). Apparently this was very common, because in the Roman laws Lex Cornelia, adopted by the dictator Lucio Cornelio Silla in 81 BC. punishment was provided for those who had an abortion (exile and confiscation of property).

The Romans loved to have fun for money,they were not stopped by venereal diseases.For example,Emperor Domitian broughtfecespeople are on their sideAndDuring the holiday, he threw tokens and coins into the crowd for visits to lupanariums.Emperor Kalligola imposed taxes on those who engaged in prostitution, and he himself opened a large lupanarium in his Palace.

Pompey

In the excavations of the city of Pompeii in the Regio VII quarter there is a building specially built for the lupanarium. This is the only brothel that has reached us Ancient Rome. It was built shortly before the volcanic eruption in 79 AD, which destroyed the city; an imprint of a 72 AD coin was found on the plastered wall. At the time of the volcanic eruption, the owners of the lupanaria were Africano and Vittore.

Room in the lupanaria of Pompeii

The lupanarium was recognizable in the city by a special lamp at the entrance; there were also “signposts” on the walls of houses and on the streets - an image of a phallus - leading to it. Often found in home frescoes, entrances and sculptures, the phallus is a symbol of good luck, fertility and abundance.

Direction sign to the Lupanarium of Pompeii

In the 19th century, during the first excavations, many scandalous frescoes and images were hidden from the public in the Secret Cabinet in Naples (now in the Archaeological Museum of Naples, entry is from 18 years of age, or with parental consent).

Fresco from the lupanarium of Pompeii

The lupanaria of Pompeii has 10 small rooms and stone beds on which mattresses were placed. Five rooms on the ground floor and five on the second, reached by a narrow wooden staircase. Under the stairs there is a toilet - latrina. The building is located at the intersection of two minor streets, it has two entrances, one was convenient for those coming from the Forum. Both entrances led to a small room (the waiting room), where the doors of five rooms opened. There was a name and price on the door, a sign Busy warned the client that he must wait his turn. The rooms on the second floor opened onto a balcony from which you could go straight down to the street. Apparently, the second floor was intended for wealthier clients.

Corridor of the lower floor of the lupanarium in Pompeii

In the corridor of the lower floor, the walls were decorated with erotic frescoes - a kind of advertising of services. Most likely, the images are taken from books about the art of love of the 3rd-4th centuries BC, written by poetesses from Samo Philainis and Elephantis.

120 graffiti were found on the walls of the rooms - inscriptions with comments and names. Their study revealed 80 names of prostitutes and clients. Sometimes the inscriptions refer to sexually transmitted diseases, preferences or reviews of prostitutes; the names of the girls are mainly Greek.

Inscriptions on the walls of Pompeii

We also learn about contraceptive methods from ancient documents - the introduction of oil, black pepper after sexual intercourse, or wool soaked in lemon juice. At the entrance they sold condoms made from dried sheep intestines to customers. The Romans did not invent the condom, but they used and distributed it. For a Roman soldier, this was part of the mandatory “weaponry”; they took it with them on military campaigns and washed it after use. Such measures were taken so that the military campaign would be successful, and venereal diseases would not wipe out all the soldiers instead of war. Venereal diseases were common - syphilis, gonorrhea, and gonorrhea were found in the Roman Empire.

In ancient Rome, prostitution was common. Cator Censor had a strict disposition, but according to the historian Orazio, he met young man at the exit from the lupanarium, Cato praises him. “I satisfied my growing libido with a prostitute, without encroaching on other people’s wives...”

Room in the lupanaria of Pompeii

The clients of the lupanari were mainly of low social level, slaves, plebeians, merchants, and foreign sailors. Prostitutes were slaves, their earnings were taken entirely by their owner - the owner of the lupanaria - Lenon. average price 2 asses (the cost of a glass of wine), sometimes the price reached 8 asses for the most beautiful and skillful slaves..

The following articles are about famous courtesans of Rome, Venice and brothels in medieval Rome.

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