Greek Homosexuality (book)

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K. J. Dover – Greek Homosexuality

Greek Homosexuality is a scholarly work by K.J. Dover, published in 1978 and discussing the practices and attitudes of the ancient Greeks toward homosexuality, based on archaelogical and literary sources. It has three major subsections on the evidence of vase paintings, speeches in the law courts, and the comedies of Aristophanes together with smaller sections based on other ancient Greek literary and philosophical writings.

The conclusions drawn are that while the Greeks regarded homosexuality in general to be natural, normal and salutary, their actual practices were circumscribed by cultural norms. In the case of the ancient Greeks - specifically the Athenians - the sexual roles of the lovers were sharply polarized.

For example the author concludes that the Greeks conceived of homosexuality primarily as boy love. The Greeks even had certain words that indicated the roles of the two male lovers, which translate to "the lover", that is, the older active partner, and "the beloved", indicating the younger, passive partner. The evidence of surviving vase painting depicting these type of sexual acts almost exclusively show a youthful adolescent or preadolescent male "beloved" being fondled or penetrated by an older bearded male "lover" (interfemoral intercourse is also frequently depicted). It was expected that the young "beloved", when he reached the age of manhood - indicated by his growth of a beard - would switch roles and become a "lover" himself, seeking out younger males to have sexual relationships with. At the same time he was expected to marry and breed new citizens for the state.

To fail to switch roles was considered unmanly and irresponsible, and Dover points out the mockery that Aristophanes (a very popular and successful Athenian comic playwright) inflicted in passing, in several plays, on a certain Athenian citizen who was notorious for his persistence in the role of "beloved" long after reaching his maturity.

With regard to the record of cases in the law courts, Dover concentrates primarily on a certain case initiated by the orator Demosthenes. Demosthenes had been in an embassy sent to the neighboring state of Macedonia which had not only failed to achieve its mission, but was widely suspected of having accepted bribes from king Phillip to abandon their mission. Upon the return to Athens, Demosthenes initiated a prosecution of his fellow ambassadors for bribery in an attempt to avoid being indicted himself. The defendants successfully had the charges dismissed on the grounds that that one of Demosthenes' co-plaintiffs had been a homosexual prostitute, and had thereby lost his rights as an Athenian citizen, becoming ineligible to bring suit in Athenian courts.

Dover extensively quotes from the records of the trial to demonstrate, among other things, that while the Athenians attached no stigma to homosexuality, per se, they did adhere to certain conventions; in this case, that no citizen could be permitted to sell his sexual favors, which they regarded as the proper function of a slave, not a free man.

References

• Greek Homosexuality, by Kenneth J. Dover; New York; Vintage Books, 1978. ISBN 0394742249