Nikarete of Corinth
Encyclopedia
Nikarete was a madam
from Corinth
, who lived in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Nikarete operated a "bettering" establishment in Corinth, a city famous in antiquity
for its prostitution
trade. From Corinth and Greek literature comes the verb
korinthiazein, which loosely translated means "to fornicate". She bought young girls from the Corinth slave market and trained them as hetaera
, to let them make their own living. Through this parental relationship Nikarete sought to increase the price her customers had to pay (free women were usually higher in demand). Nikarete's most famous hetaera was Neaira
, whom she bought along with six other girls and treated them as her own. There is a possibility that Nikarete was not a single individual or even a real person. The name Nikarete has either been attributed to artistic interpretation or to an error in referring to different individuals (Neaira or Nikarete of Megara).
Madam
Madam, or madame, is a polite title used for women which, in English, is the equivalent of Mrs. or Ms., and is often found abbreviated as "ma'am", and less frequently as "ma'm". It is derived from the French madame, which means "my lady", the feminine form of lord; the plural of ma dame in this...
from Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, who lived in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Nikarete operated a "bettering" establishment in Corinth, a city famous in antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
for its prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
trade. From Corinth and Greek literature comes the verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
korinthiazein, which loosely translated means "to fornicate". She bought young girls from the Corinth slave market and trained them as hetaera
Hetaera
In ancient Greece, hetaerae were courtesans, that is to say, highly educated, sophisticated companions...
, to let them make their own living. Through this parental relationship Nikarete sought to increase the price her customers had to pay (free women were usually higher in demand). Nikarete's most famous hetaera was Neaira
Neaira (hetaera)
Neaira, or Neaera, was a hetaera who lived in the 4th century BC in ancient Greece; there is no reliable data about the exact dates of her birth and death...
, whom she bought along with six other girls and treated them as her own. There is a possibility that Nikarete was not a single individual or even a real person. The name Nikarete has either been attributed to artistic interpretation or to an error in referring to different individuals (Neaira or Nikarete of Megara).