'Improper' Women: Practice Questions

In the context of ‘improper’ women in Athens, what was the primary legal distinction between a porne and a hetaira?

In Cicero’s Pro Caelio, how does he use the character of Clodia to damage the reputation of Marcus Caelius Rufus?

In Roman society, what was the primary difference between a meretrix and a lena?

In Roman society, what was the specific role of a lena, and how did her legal status compare to that of a typical matrona?

Explain how the typical portrayal of a hetaira at a Greek symposium reflects the gendered expectations of ‘proper’ and ‘improper’ space in ancient Athens.

In ancient societies, ‘Improper’ Women were those who lived outside the traditional role of a wife.

(a) Define the difference between a porne and a hetaira in Athenian society.
(b) Explain how the presence of a hetaira at a symposium challenged the typical spatial boundaries of the Athenian home.
(c) Using your knowledge of the Roman meretrix, explain why women like Clodia or Cytheris were viewed as a threat to traditional Roman morality.

In both Athens and Republican Rome, certain women were categorized as ‘improper’ because their lives and relationships existed outside the traditional structure of marriage.

(a) Explain the specific social and legal differences between a porne and a hetaira in Athenian society.
(b) Using the examples of Neaira or Aspasia, explain how an ‘improper’ woman could exert influence in Athens despite her lack of formal rights.
(c) In Republican Rome, the meretrix was often viewed with a mixture of fascination and fear. With reference to Clodia (as portrayed in Cicero’s Pro Caelio) or Cytheris, explain how these women were seen to threaten the traditional values of pudicitia and mos maiorum.