Israeli government archaeologists demonstrated this week that the world’s oldest profession goes back at least 1,400 years.
They uncovered a sixth century building in Beit She’an with Greek floor inscriptions pointing to its use as a brothel.
“This is the room of the most beautiful lady,” read one. “To the friends of Megas, who decorated the room and played with the girls all night long,” said another.
After some initial hesitation, the archaeologists concluded that this building at the center of the ancient town indeed served as a brothel, which Byzantine culture regarded as an important public facility.
An important commercial and military center in antiquity, Beit She’an is located at the border of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
