In Greece, homosexuality became common within their culture; which with this socially accepted involvement, some could say, provided the groundwork for the child molestation act of pederasty. It appears the Greek’s institutionalized sodomy to a new level for children that involved predominantly upper-class men in the 7th century B.C.; shamefully, boosted with pride concerning this ‘training system as their civil duty.’ They professed to be giving needed guidance to young boys (eromenos); who became effectively courted by older men (the erastes or ‘lover’). The Greeks became flamboyant with their exploitation of adolescents and cunningly gave personal attention to young boys to produce sexual cooperation. Distinctly, there existed a real challenge between Greek homosexuals, involving who would become the ‘dominating partner;’ (which transpires as an extreme shame if you were the lesser); therefore, an infinite number of repugnant circumstances arose, while using children’s passiveness to conceal the men’s perverted actions. Although, people exalt ancient philosophers for their intelligence and wisdom; perversely Plato proudly declares, “Pederasty, philosophy, and nude sports as the three things that set the Hellenes (Greeks) apart from the barbarians” (Symposium, 182b). Suitably, being compared to barbarians speaks for itself. Plato explains pederasty two years before his death, stating, “…man is far more beautiful, more excellent, nearer to perfection than woman;”
The exquisite society to emerge will be governed by an elite comprised of gay poets. One of the major requirements for a position of power in the new society of homoeroticism will be indulgence in the Greek passion. Any man contaminated with heterosexual lust will be automatically barred from a position of influence. All males who insist on remaining
Greeks were constantly in search of the "Ideal"(Riffert). Their "Ideal" was "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength…this is why the athletes in the pentathlon are the most beautiful." (Tufts) This description of the "Ideal" person given by Aristotle reflects the attitude of the majority of ancient Greeks. People were not judged solely on their minds but rather strong emphasis was given to the body. This emphasis given to the body was given to the nude body. It is understandable that we question why nude art was so accepted by the Greeks, as they were the pioneers in this field. The answer lies in the everyday life of the people. It was commonplace for Greek men to exercise, go to war, and generally go about their daily business in the nude or scantly clothed (Boardman 276).
This article is of use to the contextualization of Ancient Greek Art as it presents the sultriness of the times, including the possibly more liberal perspective men and women during those times had about the human body. Through the article, there are images and memories relating to the myths of those times which have been repressed. This article provides a more playful and romantic perspective of Ancient Greek Art, one which very much views the human body as a
The main argument is about the problem posed for the modern viewer by the eroticized body of the political ruler, which wasn't a problem for the ancient - Mesopotamians; that sexuality was inextricably linked to potency to male vigor and manly vigor to dominance and authority. In other words, Irene Winter's thesis is about sexuality signifying rule in ancient times.
However female homosexuality was never acceptable and was punishable by death. In contrast to the Roman views of female homosexuality, Ovid’s story about Iphis[3] suggests that he supported the behavior.
The Greek period, ca. 900-30 BCE, was famous for its developed ideals of human beauty, the concept of ideal heroic male nudes and what they depict, and progression from symbolic works to naturalism. Using the discussion of the following artworks, the (Anavysos)Kouros, the Kritios Boy and the Spear Bearer (Doryphoros), I will discuss their symbolic and naturalistic characteristics.
It is any wonder that excellence has been termed the “instinct of the Greek race” or that it is discussed in the earliest literature of that ancient civilization? Plato gave much thought to it, as did Homer and most other authors. The ideal of achieving excellence was the very cornerstone of ancient Hellenic society” (Johnston page 37). The meaning and implications of the statement, “Arete also had the power to broaden perspective so that narrowness and provincialism vanished." This statement states that,” Unlike most societies, which are afflicted by the” prison of the tribal, and the intellectual tyranny of the contemporary,” ancient Geeks saw life as life with all of its diversities, dimensions, and complexities” (Johnston page
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊHomoerotic desire, longing, and love in Greek texts are depicted as equally strong or stronger than the heterosexual equivalents.Ê Plato?s philosophers argue over who receives the privilege of sharing a couch with the handsomest of them.Ê Agathon and Pausanius are shown to be affectionate and loyal to each other.Ê Some of the strongest expressions of desire are found in Sappho?s lyric poetry.Ê She speaks of a certain woman as being what she most desires, claiming, ?I?d rather see her comely step, the shining luster of her face than the Lydians? chariots and infantry in armor (16 L-P lines
In the symposium, Pausanias (Greek geographer) conveys the second part which talks about a few of the societal standards representing gay (homoerotic) relationships. The way that a companion (an older man) and his lover ( a younger man) may act towards each other is largely based on society’s ethical code. It is shown that the tradition of this relationship is pursuer to the pursued; the older man takes the initiative in the relationship and is
Social attitudes about “homosexuality” in ancient Rome differed remarkably to those assumptions of the contemporary Western civilization. The Greeks and Romans had no concept of homosexuality or heterosexuality; the ancient world was exceptionally tolerant of homosexuality, or more specifically bisexuality, as these relationships had been present even in Trajan’s reign. Male prostitutes were appropriately common on the streets, however, what was of great consequence within the sexual relationship between two men were age and the status of sexual dominance and sexual submission (Potts). Men were free to take part in sexual behaviors with other men without any perceived loss of social status, provided that the older male of higher status was in the commanding position. This status reflected on ones manhood and masculinity, “the role of the submissive reduced the passive partner to the level of a woman (Potts).” Nevertheless, Men were still expected to have sexual attraction and relationships towards women because virility and procreation were important to Roman
The title of Sarah B. Pomeroy's book on women in antiquity is a summary of the main categories of females in the literary imagination and the societies of ancient Greece and Rome, over a period of fifteen hundred years. Beginning with goddesses, Pomery retells some Greek myths, outlining the social functions of female Olympians – the goddesses are archetypical images of human females, as envisioned by males. Desirable characteristics among a number of females rather than their concentration in one being are appropriate to a patriarchal society. Demosthenes states in the fourth century B.C. this ideal among mortal men, "We have mistresses for our enjoyment, concubines to serve our person and wives for the bearing of legitimate children (Pomery 1995)." Pomery’s goal in writing this book was to detail and outline the true significance of women in all other their roles in antiquity.
The meaning of sexual abuse has transformed throughout history, especially when referring to child sexual abuse. In ancient times children were view as property, primarily females. The girls were view as belonging to their father. Therefore what they could do and who they could marry was determined by the father. Their very existence was defined by his need. However, females were not the only ones that were subjects to these treatments, young boys also underwent a similar experience. In ancient Greece boys were given to wealthy men by their parents so that they could be sexually trained and used for their own pleasure. This was thought to be useful in order for them to be ready for adulthood (deMaude, 1995; Rush, 1992; Hilarski, 2008).
In this article, J. Kosak discusses the relevance, causes, and perceptions of suicide in ancient Greece. She begins the article by professing that suicide in ancient Greece was perceived in different ways based on one’s morals and sex. According to Kosak, suicide was scarce in Greek men mythology with the exceptions of Ajax and Hercules, both of whom committed suicide over the issue of lack of honor. But it was more prevalent in battle, especially among sole survivors who did not want to face the charge of pusillanimity when they returned home. Fighting was very important in Greek life, and if a person was the only soldier to return from battle, he would be viewed as a coward for not dying on the battlefield with his fellow Greeks. Even though
Ancient Greece is considered as being the most accepting of homosexuality. The belief that the human body was worthy of respect and admiration is one of the reasons that homosexuality was tolerated and often accepted in society. They did not see it as an evil thing because
Pederasty can be defined as a socially acknowledged relationship between an older man known and an adolescent boy. The word pederasty derives from Greek and translates to love of children or love of boys. To describe the two roles involved in a pederastic relationship, the words erastes and eromenos have been used. Both terms come from the Greek word eran, to love. Erastes is used to refer to the older lover or While pederasty has existed in vast variety of cultures over history, the most structured and culturally relevant example occurred in Greece. Scholars believed that pederasty originated within initiation rites on the largest Greek Island known as Crete.