Description
Book SynopsisThis agenda-setting text has been fully revised in its second edition, with coverage extended into the Christian era. It remains the most comprehensive and engaging introduction to the sexual cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations and Maps xi
Preface to the Second Edition xiii
Preface to the First Edition xv
Acknowledgments xviii
Abbreviations xix
Chronological Charts xxvii
Maps xxxii
Introduction: Why Ancient Sexuality? Issues and Approaches 1
Thinking about Sexuality 3
Sex Changes 4
Checking the Right Box 8
Davidson and his Critics 12
The Language and Ethos of Boy-love 13
Foul Mouths 19
Conclusion 23
Discussion Prompts 24
Notes 24
References 25
Further Reading 27
1 The Homeric Age: Epic Sexuality 29
The Golden Goddess 30
Dynamics of Desire 35
The Baneful Race of Women 37
Love under Siege 40
Receptions of Helen 43
The Beguilement of Zeus 45
Alternatives to Penelope 46
Achilles in the Closet? 51
Conclusion 53
Discussion Prompts 54
Notes 55
References 55
Further Reading 57
2 The Archaic Age: Symposium and Initiation 58
When the Cups are Placed 59
Fields of Erotic Dreams 62
Singing as a Man … 67
… and Singing as a Woman 71
Boys into Men 74
Girls into Women 84
Sappho on the Lips of Men 89
Conclusion 91
Discussion Prompts 92
Notes 93
References 96
Further Reading 99
3 Late Archaic Athens: More than Meets the Eye 101
Out of Etruria 102
Lines of Sight 106
Birds of a Different Feather 108
Flirtation at the Gym 109
Party Girls 118
In the Boudoir 127
Bride of Quietness 129
Conclusion 131
Discussion Prompts 133
Notes 134
References 136
Further Reading 138
4 Classical Athens: The Politics of Sex 139
More Equal than Others 141
Pederasty and Class 146
Interview with the Kinaidos 154
In the Grandest Families 161
What the Neighbors Might Think 166
Criminal Proceedings 167
His and Hers (or His) 170
Conclusion 176
Discussion Prompts 177
Notes 177
References 179
Further Reading 182
5 The Early Hellenistic Period: Turning Inwards 184
Court Intrigues 188
Who Is Buried in Philip’s Tomb? 192
Medicine and the Sexes 194
From Croton to Crete 198
Safe Sex 203
Athenian Idol 208
Conclusion 214
Discussion Prompts 215
Notes 215
References 217
Further Reading 220
6 The Later Hellenistic Period: The Feminine Mystique 221
Disrobing Aphrodite 222
Hellenes in Egypt 226
Love among the Pyramids 230
New Gods for Old 236
To Colchis and Back 238
Desiring Women – and their Detractors 241
Conclusion 245
Discussion Prompts 247
Notes 247
References 249
Further Reading 252
7 Early Rome: A Tale of Three Cultures 253
The Pecking Order 256
Imported Vices 259
Bringing Women under Control 261
Butchery for Fun 269
What a Piece of Work is a Man! 270
Conclusion 274
Discussion Prompts 274
Notes 275
References 277
Further Reading 279
8 Republican and Augustan Rome: The Soft Embrace of Venus 280
Only Joking 282
Young Men(?) in Love 286
Sulpicia unveils Herself 291
Mother of All Empires 293
Domestic Visibility 303
Going too Far 306
Conclusion 309
Discussion Prompts 310
Notes 311
References 312
Further Reading 314
9 Elites in the Empire: Self and Others 315
Risky Business 317
Boys named Sue 322
Them 324
Roads to Romance 329
Rock-star Rhetoric 329
‘Greek Love’ under Rome 334
Roads to Nowhere 338
Conclusion 344
Discussion Prompts 345
Notes 345
References 347
Further Reading 349
10 The Imperial Populace: Toward Salvation? 350
The 99% 353
Gravestones and Walls 355
In the Eye of the Beholder 361
The Warren Cup 368
“O Isis und Osiris …” 370
Christian Continence 377
Things Fall Apart 380
Conclusion 383
Discussion Prompts 385
Notes 386
References 389
Further Reading 392
Afterword: The Use of Antiquity 393
Glossary of Terms 398
Index 411
