Government or rule by hetaerae or by companion associations; political power wielded by courtesans or companion groups.
From Greek 'hetaera' combined with 'kratos' meaning 'power' or 'rule,' plus the suffix '-cracy.' This is an extremely rare scholarly term used in historical discussions of political influence in ancient Greece.
Hetaerocracy might sound invented, but some historians have argued that Aspasia achieved unprecedented political influence through her relationship with Pericles—a woman with zero legal rights arguably shaped Athenian democracy through informal power, which ancient Greeks found simultaneously fascinating and disturbing.
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