Porneía in greek bodies: pornography, erotism and the construction of the female body in attic ceramics (6th - 4th centuries BCE)
Porneía; Prostitution; Gender; Female categories; Hierarchical society.
This chapter aims to analyze porneía in archaic-classical Athens, investigating it not merely as a natural phenomenon, but as a social practice and a tool of power established by a hierarchical society. The discussion questions the viability of porneía in non-hierarchical contexts, exploring asymmetries between the masculine and feminine spheres. Furthermore, it performs a critique of modern translations of terminologies referring to the universe of porneía and, consequently, prostitution, arguing that these terms carry contemporary moral burdens that can erase gender issues in Athens. The chapter also highlights the fluidity of the female categories belonging to porneía, demonstrating that the statuses of hetaíra or porné were not fixed, but shaped by context and discourse. Finally, it introduces the iconography of vases and the symposium environment as pedagogical spaces where these distinctions were reinforced and, simultaneously, blurred in social practice.