Love In Ancient Greece

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, sex appeal, and fertility. She can charm everyone, even the gods. She was called the laughter loving goddess because she would laugh sweetly or mockingly at those her charms had conquered. Her charms are so powerful that she can turn even wise men to talking foolishly.

The term homosexuality as it is used and understood today is not applicable to Greek antiquity for three reasons: First of all, most Greeks were bisexual. Second, homosexuality and 'gay' as sexual identities are recent developments, emerging only in the 2Oth Century. Last, and most important of all, passion and erotic love between two adult men (the model for modern gay relationships), was generally considered unusual and held up to ridicule. Homosexual love in Greece was love between a man and a boy.

The Greek practice of pederasty came suddenly into prominence at the end of the archaic period of Greek history; there is a brass plaque from Crete, about 650-625 BC, which is the oldest surviving representation of pederasty custom. Such representations appear from all over Greece in the next century; literary sources show it as being established custom in many cities by the fifth century BC.

Ancient Greeks acknowledged homosexuality as an important tool in boys education. They institutionalized and regulated its practices within their law codes. True, opinions about it varied, but few aspects of any culture have ever stood without debate, both popular and forensic. Their homosexuality, almost universally intergenerational, resembled what modern societies call pederasty rather than homosexuality between adults.

Ancient Greece had unofficial and unwritten rules enforcing decorous behavior at dromoi or in gymnasia and especially for relationships that at times started there, much as modern society has rules for how teenage sons of socialites must "court and spark" their romantic interests.

Occasionally one of those young scions of the social elite might take a favor to a particular boy in training. The young man might approach the boy after classes ended for the day, or he might send an intermediary to give his name and a message to the boy.

There were magical effigies much like those used today by practitioners of voodoo. The practitioner of this aggressive magic would cast an incantation and poke or burn the effigy in an effort to affect the person represented. The intention was to make the woman represented suffer the pangs of lust to the point that she would leave her family. The practitioner might invoke Eros, Pan, Hekate, or Aphrodite.

Ancient Greek Life History / Ancient Greece Facts for Kids

We owe a lot to Ancient Greek Civilization. History of ancient Greece is a fascinating. On this site, we have given information on various ancient Greek life aspects - Arts, Boys and Girls, Architecture, Dancing, Gods, Myths, Medicine, Inventions, Houses, Government, Religions, Wars, Politics, Weapons and ancient Greece Cities.