Eutychis’ name appears in a graffito on the entrance to the House of the Vettii at Pompeii, the ancient Roman town destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in August ad 79, along with a price; it reads: ‘Eutychis, a Greek lass with sweet ways, 2 asses’ (Figure 25).1 On the face of it, it looks like an advert for sex – a calling card for a female prostitute of Greek origin to attract, presumably, male punters.2 Over 11,000 inscriptions have been found at Pompeii and this one is not by any means the only one referencing sex and the sex industry.3 The sex trade was a normal part of the hustle and bustle of many ancient cities. More than 100 female prostitutes are known by name from Pompeii; ‘prostitutes were’, explains Robert Knapp, ‘quite literally, everywhere’.4