Drawing on Book 13 of the Athenaeus' "Deipnosophistae", which contains almost all known references to Hetaeras from all periods of Greek literature, Laura K. McClure has created a window onto the ways ancient Greeks perceived the courtesan and the role of the courtesan in Greek life.

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION The Courtesan as Fetish / Ancient Greek Terms for Prostitutes Distinguishing the Hetaera from the Porne The Pallake The Auletris and Other Female Entertainers The Eromene Conclusion CHAPTER ONE Genres of Courtesans: Athenaeus and Nostalgia Athenaeus and the Literary Symposium Genres of Courtesans: Athenaeus and the Literary Quotation Book 13 and the Discourse on Hetaeras Cynulcus' Invective against Hetaeras Myrtilus' Encomium of Hetaeras Conclusion CHAPTER TWO The Women Most Mentioned: The Names of Athenian Courtesans The Problem of Names The Names of Athenian Women / Attic Identity, Foreign Birth The Names of Hetaeras The Names of Slaves The Use of the Metronymic Conclusion CHAPTER THREE Parody and Subversion: The Witticisms of Courtesans Flattery, Riddles, and Double Entendres Hetaeras as Poets and Poets as Hetaeras Sympotic Mocker The Laughter of Hetaeras The Chreia as a Literary Genre Tragic Humor, Comic Obscenity Philosophers and Courtesans / Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR