This is a study of the legal rules affecting the practice of female prostitution in Rome approximately from 200 BCE to CE 250. It examines the formation and precise content of the legal norms developed for prostitution and those engaged in this profession, with close attention to their social context. McGinn's unique study explores the ""fit"" between the law-system and the socio-economic reality while shedding light on important questions concerning marginal groups, marriage, sexual behaviour, the family, slavery, and citizen status, particularly that of women.
