Written in approximately 320 CE, the Kama Sutra is more than just a guide for intimate positions. It's a manual for virtuous and gracious living that discusses the nature of love, family life and other aspects pertaining to the pleasurable pursuits of human life. One section lists the 64 arts that should be cultivated in order to make a person more attractive.
Vatsayana writes:
“A public woman....versed in the above arts.... becomes an object of universal regard. The daughter of a king too as well as the daughter of a minister, being learned in the above arts, can make their husbands favorable to them, even though these may have thousands of other wives besides themselves.If a wife becomes separated from her husband, and falls into distress, she can support herself easily, even in a foreign country, by means of her knowledge of these arts. Even the bare knowledge of them gives attractiveness to a woman"
