The Greeks and Greek love - James Davidson

Davidson draws our attention to the variety of social conventions surrounding male same-sex relationships, even within the geographically small area of ancient Greece. The very idea of "Greek love" or "Greek homosexuality" as a single social institution comes to seem somewhat misguided as Davidson shows how very differently people behaved in, say, Sparta, Elis, and Athens. The Athenians - who have bequeathed us the most evidence - were very unusual; citizens of other Greek cities were puzzled by the Athenian practices of "paederasty," or "boy-love," which involved the courtship of young men but which were also associated with the boys' education.

Davidson emphasizes that we should not think of these relationships in terms of child abuse. He argues, more vigorously than other historians have done, that the Athenians themselves were very much concerned to mark the distinction between those who were underage (i.e., under 18) and those who were not. As Davidson portrays it, same-sex relationships - which seem to have generally taken place between youths in their late teens and young men in their early 20s - were an important part of a boy's journey to manhood.

source: Book review 'Ancient Greek Lessons About Gay Marriage - The dizzying spectrum of same-sex relationships' by Emily Wilson; www.slate.com/id/2221779/pagenum/all/#p2; Slate Magazine; About the book 'The Greeks and Greek Love: A Bold New Exploration of the Ancient World' by James Davidson; 22 September 2009