Absolutely fascinating -and reasonably brief- article by Forrest Wickman presented on Slate Magazine concerning, yes, the “world’s oldest profession”:
What truly blew me away, apart from the interesting information regarding prostitution throughout the various eras (and who it was that coined the phrase “the most ancient profession”, which over time became the more familiar “world’s oldest profession”), was the information regarding the exchange of sexual favors for items in the animal kingdom, specifically in monkeys and penguins (!).
Amazing bit of information that once again suggests that we as human beings are not as far removed from our animal “cousins” as we may think.
Again, fascinating, fascinating piece.