by Lisa Griffiths

Created on: March 10, 2010

It could be argued that the term homosexuality is a fairly new ideal brought about by those on the wrong path as defined by most modern societal and religious norms. In fact, same gender sexual activities have been quite normal and accepted as part of existence until recent history.

In particular, Ancient Greece has various historical accounting's of homosexuality. But for purposes of leaving certain schools of thoughts their own interpretive values on the subject, herein will be a favored view.

In general, the Greek male had certain duties as an adult including the expectation to marry and raise children. But as a part of this society’s norm, he was also to take friendship and sexual turn with worthy male youths.

This was not seen as a separate act in exclusion of the marriage. More so, it was viewed as complementary, enhancing the role of husband, father and place of nobility.

There were definite hierarchical roles in this society and homosexuality in Ancient Greece was no different. Two equals of status could not engage in sexual activities. A man must seek his desires with adolescents, termed pederasty, or slaves; slave men or boys.

It was a rite of passage for male youth to be courted by many men and his duty was to choose the most noble. This would be looked upon favorably as the boy reached manhood.

This relationship between youth and adult would continue until the boy reached early adulthood. At which time the young man would begin courting particular, deserving youth of his own. Of course it would expand to include the taking of a wife as expected.

As with any society or era there were deviants who strayed from the expected path. But this is demonstrates the ideal and norm.

There were no denouncements or ridicule of the man who took a male lover. Beautiful women and male youth were both attractive to men. And accepted as normality.

It has been noted that some men favored the love of youthful boys over women. Actually, some that favored women instead even found the beauty of the male boy hard to resist.

In testament to this sense of beauty attached to certain boys, Ancient Greek art and literature is full of youths depicted as kalos, the masculine form of beauty. It was rare to find pictures of, or inscriptions with kale, the feminine form.

Not only were the boys part of a man's sexual favors, he was also valued for his capable reasoning skills. With a man’s wife valued as childbearing and girls unworthy of education, Greek men were responsible for the intellectual development of their young male lover.

Of course, there were exceptions to these rules, as in any society or era. But homosexuality in Ancient Greece had a pedagogic side to its pederasty. This ideal was maintained through the homosexual love between man and youth.

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