The Origins of Prostitution

The world's holy books echo this voice of rebellion, combining contempt for the corrupt urban life and suspicion of the merchant. Herodotus echoed popular greek pantasies when he claimed that every babylonian maiden was obliged to prostitute herself at the temple so as to raise the money for her dowry. Out of such practices, prostitution of female family members for the benefit of the head of the family could readily develop. Children of both sexes were given up for debt pledges or sold for adoption. The image of babylon itself has become permanently lodged in the collective imagination as not only the cradle of civilization, but also the place of horrors. Such is the voice of patriarchal hatred of the city