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[Minimalist]

grumpy old Babylonian whores.

Sacred, too!

We find evidence of sacred prostitution throughout the ancient world, as early as the Gilgamesh Epic of 7000 B.C.E. Herodotus, a Greek historian from the third century B.C.E., wrote:

"...women of the land...sit in the temple of love and have intercourse with some stranger...the men pass and make their choice. It matters not what be the sum of money; the women will never refuse, for that were a sin, the money being by this act made sacred. After their intercourse she has made herself holy in the sight of the goddess..." 1

Sacred prostitution occurred in the early civilizations of Sumer, Babylonia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Rome, and is mentioned in the code of Hammurabi. It also seems to have been common in Europe and the Middle East prior to the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In fact, sacred prostitutes not only existed, they flourished and were held to be important members of society:

"...the sacred prostitutes were many in number. According to Strabo, at the temples of Aphrodite in Eryx and Corinth there were above a thousand, while at each of the two Comanas about six thousand were in residence. They were accorded social status and were educated. In some cases, they remained politically and legally equal to men." 2

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Sacred-Pro...id=4091245