Hetaerism

For similarly spelled words, see Hetair- (disambiguation).

Hetaerism or hetairism can mean:

• A term employed by 19th century anthropologists (such as Johann Jakob Bachofen) to indicate a theoretical early state of human society characterized by the absence of the institution of marriage in any form. Women were the common property of their tribe, and the children never knew their fathers. Sometimes known as "primitive promiscuity".
• A term used to describe ancient Greek customs according to which a man's wife was forbidden to accompany him to many public events, including the banquets or symposia which made up such a large part of Greek social life. At such occasions, men sought out the company of courtesans or Hetaerae instead.