How Sacred Prostitution Is Faring in Academic Publications

Abstract

This article looks at the current state of sacred prostitution studies in both ancient Near Eastern and Classical Studies through the review of two books published in 2019. Both books reveal that the current trend is to dismiss the existence of sacred prostitution in antiquity, one by attempting (not entirely successfully) to agree with that assessment, and one by condemning that dismissal altogether. All things considered, it does now appear that there has been a marked change of opinion in the academy, and that Aphrodite’s and Ištar’s cult brothels are making their way to the dustpan of historiography.