WTF are Cellae Meretriciae?

Ancient Pompeii has gotten quite a reputation for sexuality and debauchery. Penises are carved into buildings and sidewalks, while erotic frescoes adorn the walls of many buildings. Perhaps the most noticeable and numerous feature of sex in Pompeii is prostitution cribs, known as cellae meretriciae. These cribs were independent venues used by street prostitutes who didn’t work in a brothel. They’re single rooms directly accessible from the street. Most have a masonry bed and likely would’ve had a wooden shutter or curtain for privacy. Erotic art and explicit graffiti are present in many cellae meretriciae, hinting at the sexual activities performed in them.

How Many Cellae Meretriciae?

Historians disagree on the number of cellae meretriciae in Pompeii. Andrew Wallace-Hadrill counts only the ones with masonry beds, making a total of 9.¹ Thomas A.J. McGinn ups the number to 13, arguing it’s not out of the realm of possibility that wooden beds were used. Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE would’ve destroyed anything made of wood, so wooden beds wouldn’t be in the archaeological record. McGinn does note, however, that cribs without stone beds may have been used for storage or by watchmen.²

Other scholars think the cribs might’ve functioned as shops during the day or temporary housing for drifters.³ I don’t know about the latter – those would be some pretty cramped quarters. But if you’re desperate, why not?

Location of Cribs

While the cribs are spread throughout Pompeii, the majority are clustered in one region. Of interest are two cellae meretriciae near the Lupanar (brothel). Perhaps street prostitutes enticed clients before they could make it into the brothel. We also have two others located at the back of a bar, making them the only ones without direct access to the street. The bar’s waitresses may have also sold sexual services and brought their customers to these cribs.

Finally, all cellae meretriciae are on lower levels. Unfortunately, we don’t know if there were cribs on higher floors because the buildings in Pompeii are missing their upper levels. 

List of Cellae Meretriciae

Below is a list of known cribs in Pompeii, along with their attributes. Thomas A.J. McGinn compiled the list.⁴

Each crib is identified as a series of numbers, which represent the following: Region of Pompeii, Insula (blocks), Entrance. For example, 7.2.28 is Region 7, Insula 2, Entrance 28.

• 7.2.28. Contains a masonry bed.
• 7.4.42. Contains a masonry bed and an erotic wall painting.
• 7.6.14. Has 3 vessels in the floor and is located next to crib 7.6.15.
• 7.6.15. Contains a masonry bed and a small hearth. It is located next to 7.6.14.
• 7.11.12. Contains a masonry bed and a tufa penis over the entrance.
• 7.12.33. Contains a masonry bed and is located under a staircase.
• 7.13.15. Contains a masonry bed and a penis amulet. It shares an erotic graffito with 7.13.16 and 7.13.19.
• 7.13.16. Contains a masonry bed and a wall painting of some weird creature with two penises for front legs. It shares erotic graffito with 7.13.15 and 7.13.19. It’s also located next to 7.13.15.
• 7.13.19. Contains a masonry bed. Shares erotic graffiti with 7.13.15 and 7.13.16.
• 7.16.6. No masonry bed, and is located under a staircase.
• 9.6.2. Possible masonry bed (?), located under a staircase, and 3 erotic graffiti around the corner.
• 9.7.12. Possible masonry bed (?), located under a staircase, and 4 erotic graffiti nearby. Next door to a possible brothel.
• 9.7.17. Possible masonry bed (?) and located under a staircase.

Prostitution in Ancient Rome

Let’s talk about prostitution for a hot second, because I’d like to give everyone a reality check. Many of us look at these cellae meretriciae and probably give a knowing smirk. To be fair, the cribs are totally salacious, and we see Ancient Romans as horndogs. But for a prostitute in Ancient Rome, life was an absolute nightmare.

Prostitution was legal in the Roman world and was largely unregulated by authorities. Life was rough for prostitutes, who were not only exploited but also legally and socially marginalized. Additionally, they were probably subjected to violence and criminal activity by clients, owners, and masters “…in the form of beatings, rape, murder, robbery, theft, and destruction of property.”⁵

Who Were the Clients?

Males were the clientele of brothels and street prostitutes. No surprise there! The men who solicited sexual services were a diverse group. Some were free-born, while others were servants and slaves themselves. Some were local to Pompeii, and others were from out of town. Sailors were likely a huge part of the clientele since Pompeii was an important port for trade in the Roman Empire. What they all had in common, though, was that they were all likely of low economic and social status. Rich folks couldn’t be bothered to pay for sex because it was shameful, and they had their private sex slaves anyway.

Who Were the Prostitutes?

Prostitutes were both female and male in Ancient Rome. Many were slaves, often from foreign lands. If the names in Pompeii’s sexual graffiti are any indication, a lot of them were Greek.

Other prostitutes were free women and men in poverty. Additionally, workers in the service industry sold their sexual services to clients, such as tavern waitresses and bath attendants. For more information on prostitution in Roman baths, check out the post, Was There a Brothel in the Suburban Baths of Pompeii?

In terms of male prostitutes, I have a gross side note. According to Romans, the younger, the better. In Roman and Greek society, the peak of a male’s beauty was during his adolescent years. As such, the older male prostitutes got, the less interested clients were in them.⁶ I know we’re not supposed to judge past civilizations, but I am judging so hard right now.

Names of Prostitutes

What’s cool about the massive number of crude graffiti all over Pompeii is that we know the names of a lot of prostitutes. Names are important because they allow us to see prostitutes as actual human beings rather than an abstract concept. McGinn comes to the rescue again and compiles a list of them.⁷ Here are only a handful:

1. Amunus (male)
2. Antis (female, perhaps a tavern waitress)
3. Attica (female)
4. Fortunata (female)
5. Ianuaria (female)
6. Nicepor (male)
7. Restituta (female)
8. Sabina (female)
9. Successus (male)
10. Veneria (female)

I know cellae meretriciae are interesting as hell, and we tend to laugh at all the sex that comes out of ancient Pompeii. I’ve seen photos of tourists lying across the masonry beds in dramatic poses, and yeah, it’s a good pic. But let’s also remember the people who slaved away in these cribs, performing sexual acts just to survive another day.

Footnotes

1. Wallace-Hadrill, “Public Honor,” 53. ↩︎
2. McGinn, The Economy of Prostitution, 202, 215-216. ↩︎
3. Levin-Richardson, The Brothel of Pompeii, 19-21. ↩︎
4. McGinn, The Economy of Prostitution, Appendix 2, 291-294. ↩︎
5. McGinn, The Economy of Prostitution, 86. ↩︎
6. Levin-Richardson, The Brothel of Pompeii, 130-131. ↩︎
7. McGinn, The Economy of Prostitution, Appendix 3, pp. 295-302. ↩︎

Bibliography & Further Reading

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Levin-Richardson, Sarah. The Brothel of Pompeii: Sex, Class, and Gender at the Margins of Roman Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.

McGinn, Thomas A.J. The Economy of Prostitution in the Roman World: A Study of Social History and the Brothel. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004.

Wallace-Hadrill, Andrew. “Public Honor and Private Shame: The Urban Texture of Pompeii.” In Urban Society in Roman Italy, edited by T. Cornell, K. Lomas, and A. Wallace-Hadrill, 39-62. London: Taylor & Francis, 1993.