A. Definition
Literally translated, the Greek term ἑταίρα (hetaíra) means ‘female companion’. It was first used by Herodotus (2,134,1) to describe a Thracian woman named Rhodopis, who was sexually available to men and thus became rich. In scholarly research, hetaerae were therefore often identified with prostitutes, with a comment that their being named ‘female companions’ was euphemistic. Davidson [1], on the other hand, stresses that, on the evidence of…