Wednesday, February 7, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sistersdauthordupdfordbookdaward
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
To hear Gary Leiser tell
it, he wrote his Oregon Book
Award-nominated scholarly
tome on prostitution in the
eastern Mediterranean world
of the Middle Ages “by
accident.”
Over a period of 20 years
of study in various Middle
Eastern topics, he kept com-
ing across references to the
oldest profession.
“On a whim, I started col-
lecting these references,” he
said. “Twenty years later, I
discovered I had 80 pages of
notes.”
Combining those notes
with fresh research, Leiser
produced “Prostitution in
the Eastern Mediterranean
World: The Economics of
Sex in the Late Antique and
Medieval Middle East.” And
that book is one of five final-
ists for the Oregon Book
Awards Frances Fuller Victor
Award for General Nonfiction
“Nobody’s more surprised
than I am,” Leiser told The
Nugget.
The subject matter — per-
haps unexpectedly — casts
an interesting light on actual
life under both Christian and
Muslim rule in a region that
formed a frontier between
Islam and the West for hun-
dreds of years.
“This book describes
how people really behaved,”
Leiser said.
Regardless of the moral
teachings of the dominant
faiths of the region, prositu-
tion was never illegal under
either Christian or Muslim
rule. In Egypt, Leiser points
out, it actually became a state
enterprise.
Everywhere, it was deeply
entwined with the society and
economy of the era.
“Prostitution had a sym-
biotic relationship with all
kinds of trades and was inte-
grated into the economy,”
Leiser said.
Property owners found
bordellos to be lucrative rent-
als. Tradesmen made their
livings providing jewelry and
clothing for “public women.”
“Public women were dis-
tinguished from other women
above all by what they wore,”
Leiser said.
Clothing was often ele-
gant, and the women were
unveiled and painted their
lips. Leiser notes that it seems
that women “went in and out
of the business depending on
how the economy went.”
Not all of the public
women were native to the
region. Leiser points out
that there was a tremendous
influx into the Middle East
during the Crusades.
“We have accounts of
shiploads of ladies coming
in from Europe to serve the
troops,” he said.
Leiser points out that
modern Islamic radicalism,
which is profoundly puritani-
cal, gives a false impression
of what life was like in earlier
times.
“Islam was tolerant of
prostitution — as Christianity
was,” he said.
He noted that he has never
found evidence of a woman
being put to death for prosti-
tution in the period.
That tolerance was, in
large part, due to the under-
standing that the trade served
as a kind of safety valve for
male desire, and served a nec-
essary function in the protec-
tion of “respectable” women.
And, then as now, “it was
an almost guaranteed money-
maker, no matter what the
economy was.”
Leiser acknowledges
one unavoidable flaw in any
accounting of prostitution in
those early times. There is a
virtually absolute absence of
accounts from women.
“The women don’t speak
for themselves,” Leiser said.
The historian is left to
tease out information from
a record that doesn’t neces-
sarily deal with the topic
directly.
Born in 1946, Leiser grew
up in Oregon.
He studied anthropology
and Middle East Studies at
Portland State University
(BA, 1969) and attended
the British Middle East
Centre for Arab Studies at
Shemlan, Lebanon. He com-
pleted a PhD in medieval
Middle Eastern history at the
University of Pennsylvania
(1976).
Finding that academic jobs
were scarce, he worked for
the U.S Defense Department
in various capacities until
his retirement in 2008. He
lived and worked in Turkey
for a number of years and
has published widely on the
social history of the medi-
eval Middle East. He has
translated the most impor-
tant historical works of M.F.
Köprülü, a leading Turkish
historian of the 20th century.
Leiser has been living in
Sisters for about three years,
having come here often as a
boy to enjoy the playground
of Central Oregon.
Order “Prostitution in the
Eastern Mediterranean World:
The Economics of Sex in the
Late Antique and Medieval
Middle East” through Paulina
Springs Books in Sisters,
541-549-0866.
7
HotdButtereddRumd
headeddtodSisters
Hot Buttered Rum,
originally conceived on a
backcountry trip of high
school and college bud-
dies as a way to re-imagine
Appalachian string band
music from the vantage
point of the High Sierra, has
since found its way into the
hearts, minds, and bodies of
thousands.
They’re brining their
music back to Sisters on
Saturday, February 10, at 8
p.m. at The Belfry. Central
Oregon’s own Honey Don’t
will open the show.
Hot Buttered Rum has
toured the nation more times
than its members can count,
and yet still holds true to its
goal to make California’s
own acoustic music, full of
desert fire, glacial snow-
melt and everything in
between.
Tickets for the 21-and-
over show are $15. The
Belfry is located at 302 E.
Main Ave. in Sisters.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Hot Buttered Rum returns to Sisters for a show at The Belfry on Saturday,
February 10.
Mark your calendar for... Author
Presentations
Friday • 2/9 • 6 PM Jim Anderson
TALES FROM A NORTHWEST NATURALIST
Jim
Anderson will present a slideshow about the natural world and how
he got started in his career as a naturalist. For decades he has
been sharing his knowledge and passion for nature in Oregon by
educating visitors to OMSI, the Oregon Zoo, and Sunriver Resort,
as well as leading hikes and working on local conservation efforts.
Friday • 2/23 • 6 PM
Rick Steber
LITTLE WHITE MAN: SHOYAPO SHOYAPO
Rick
Steber tells the story of Jimmy Cornelison, a young missionary sent
where Dr. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman lost their lives 50 years
prior. The young minister faces a congregation of the descendants
of those who committed the murders. The David and Goliath battle
of the dominance of the white man’s religion between Chief Peo and
Jimmy Cornelison is explored, highlighting many prejudices and
injustices experienced by the native people of Eastern Oregon.
Sunday • 2/25 • 4:30 PM Liz Thomas
BACKPACKER LONG TRAILS: Mastering the Art
Happy
Valentine’s
Day
Gift Certificates Available
of the Thru-Hike Liz Thomas is well known for hiking light, fast
and solo; she broke the women’s unsupported speed record hiking
the Appalachian Trail. Her book lends Thomas’ extensive knowledge
and equips the reader with everything they need to know to conduct
a fun and effi cient thru-hike. She is one of the most experienced
hikers in the United States.
Friday • 3/2 • 6 PM Maria Mudd Ruth
A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT CLOUDS How much do you
know about the clouds you see every day? When Maria Mudd Ruth
fi rst moved to Seattle, she was surprised by how little the populace
knew about the beautiful clouds hanging overhead, so she made it her
mission to learn all about them. In a delightful combination of humor
and accessible science she shares what she learned, providing both
a clinical look at clouds and a guide to natural formations.
We can order & receive most books in a couple days – free shipping!
SHOP LOCAL for: Books, Games, Toys, Gifts, Audio Books
541-549-1784
161-C N. Elm St.
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