profit by the life of a courtesan, and
always found a grand marriage when she retired on account of age. In all
the temples there were women attached to the service of the gods. They
were of different grades and ranks and were supposed to entertain the
god as harem women entertained princes. In the temples of goddesses
women were the functionaries and obtained great honor and power.[1903]
Constantine demolished the temples of impure cult in Phoenicia and
Egypt and caused the priests to be scattered by soldiers. Farnell[1904]
thinks that the Babylonian custom (especially because it was required
that the man should be a stranger) was due to fear of harm from the
nuptial blood. The attendants in the temples are known as "hierodules."
Otto[1905] says that the hierodules were not temple slaves, or harlots,
but he finds evidence that the temples had income from temple harlots.
The Phoenicians who settled Carthage took the religion of western Asia
with them. Perhaps there was an element of sensuality in the antecedent
religion of north Africa which united with that of the imported
religion. This would account for the cultus at Sicca, in Numidia. There
was there a temple of Astarte or Tanith in which women lived who never
went forth except to collect a dowry by harlotry.[1906] At Byblos
(Gebal), in Phoenicia, there was a great temple of the same goddess
at which there were elaborate celebrations of the Adonis myth. There was
sacral harlotry for strangers only, the money going as a sacrifice to
the goddess. Every woman must have her head shaved in mourning for
Adonis, or sacrifice herself under this custom.[1907] Tanith has been
identified with Artemis, and the later cults of Punic Africa give great
prominence to the "celestial virgin," or "virginal _numen_." "The
identification of the mother-of-the-gods with the heavenly virgin, that
is, the unmarried goddess, is confirmed, if not absolutely demanded, by
Augustine.[1908] At Carthage she seems also to be identical with
Dido."[1909] "The Arabian Lat was worshiped by the Nabataeans as
mother-of-the-gods and must be identified with the virgin-mother whose
worship at Petra is described by Epiphanius."[1910] In the worship of
Anaitis in Armenia male and female slaves were dedicated to the goddess,
but men of rank also consecrated their daughters. After long service
they married, no one considering them degraded. They were not mercenary,
being well provided for by their families. Theref