Concubines in Greece: History, Power, and Sexuality in Ancient Society

When we talk about concubines in Greece, women who lived in long-term sexual relationships outside of formal marriage, often with legal and social ambiguity. Also known as pallakai, they were neither wives nor slaves—but occupied a space in between, shaped by wealth, status, and the men who kept them. Unlike Athenian wives, who were confined to the home and rarely seen in public, concubines often moved freely, hosted gatherings, and sometimes wielded real influence. Their existence wasn’t hidden—it was routine. But because they didn’t fit neatly into the roles of mother or citizen, their stories were rarely written down—or were deliberately erased.

The most visible type of concubine in ancient Greece was the hetaera, a class of educated, independent female companions who provided intellectual and sexual company to elite men. Also known as courtesans, they weren’t bought like slaves; many were freedwomen or foreigners who trained in music, poetry, and rhetoric. Aspasia, the partner of Pericles, was one of the most famous. She hosted philosophers, advised statesmen, and was publicly criticized for her power—yet no one denied her influence. Hetaerae were exceptions, but they prove that women in Greece could hold space outside marriage—even if society tried to shame them for it.

Concubines in Greece didn’t just exist in elite circles. In poorer households, male heads often kept female servants as sexual partners, especially if their wives were infertile or distant. These relationships were rarely formalized, and the children born from them often had no legal rights. This wasn’t scandal—it was practical. Ancient Greek society didn’t have birth control or easy divorce, so concubinage was a workaround for control, reproduction, and desire. Meanwhile, the legal system protected men’s rights to keep multiple women, while women had almost no recourse. The slavery in antiquity, the institutionalized system where people, often war captives or debtors, were owned and used for labor and sex. Also known as chattel slavery, it was the foundation of Greek economy and household life made concubinage possible: many concubines started as slaves, and freedom didn’t always mean safety.

What’s missing from most textbooks is how these women saw themselves. We have few first-hand accounts, but fragments from pottery, legal records, and satirical plays hint at resistance, negotiation, and even affection. Some concubines saved money, bought their freedom, or raised their children to be citizens. Others lived in fear, trapped by dependence. The truth is messy, human, and rarely romantic. And that’s why the posts here matter—they dig into the archives, challenge the myths, and show how gender, power, and sexuality worked in real life, not just in philosophy.

Below, you’ll find articles that connect ancient practices to modern understanding—how shame shaped female sexuality, how medical myths silenced women’s pleasure, and how power structures in marriage still echo today. This isn’t just history. It’s about who gets to be seen, who gets to speak, and why some stories were buried so deeply.