What Sex Was Like In Ancient Greece

Intimacy is a big part of being human

After all, it's how we make more humans. But sex for pleasure has been viewed differently

throughout the ages. Way back when, the ancient Greeks had some surprising views on the subject of intimacy

and some attitudes and practices best left in the past. So today, we're pulling the robes off

of what sex was like in ancient Greece. OK, time to get it on

The video, get the video on. The ancient Greeks played an integral role in forming modern society

We have a lot to thank the Greeks for, from systems of governments to aspects of the justice system and even plumbing

so you know who to blame the next time your toilet backs up into the kitchen. Not all practices stood the test of time, though

as dating in ancient Greece was a far cry from modern romance. Ancient Greece's views on intimacy were far less conservative than contemporary societies

Doing the dirty with both men and women was the norm in Athens, and men often took on

protégés who doubled as passive physical partners. Bumping uglies actually played an important role in culture and societal hierarchy in

ancient times. Relations between men were not only accepted, but encouraged. There was no word for homosexuality either

The practice was part of the broader concept of aphrodisia, uninfluenced by gender

However, this doesn't mean it was a golden age for same-sex relationships

Historians believe ancient Athenian men regarded dominance in intimate relationships as a status symbol

If a man acted as the passive partner, Pathikos, he often endured ridicule

The ancient Athenians had a derogatory name for these men, Kenedi. Man, that word even sounds unfriendly

Conversely, ancient Greece's relaxed view of sex included some practices that are considered reprehensible in modern society

Pederasty, or when a man took on a boy student, usually a teen, as a protégé and physical

partner, is arguably the most notorious. The act reflected attitudes about domination and submission in Greek culture, as intimate

relations were more about satisfying the dominant partner than the submissive one

Plato's Symposium suggests this relationship between two men, specifically between a man

and a youth, is the purest form of his definition of love, as it has roots in the desire to share

knowledge and worldviews Physical intimacy was merely a bonus sort of like the ancient world version of friends with benefits Greece did not always welcome these attitudes By around 450 BCE there were laws against sexual profligacy Though the laws mostly applied to men they affected a person ability to run

for office, which was not possible for women. Still, it is believed that there was a large

discrepancy between official laws and actual custom, sort of like how some people treat

stop signs more like a suggestion than a rule. Some religions paint sex as a sinful act unless

performed by a husband and wife, but the ancient Greeks attached little to no religious significance

to sex whatsoever, leading to their accepting attitudes of different interests. Nudity wasn't

shameful, hence all the naked people in ancient Greek art. Public plays and artwork could also

depict eyebrow-raising acts worthy of a giant adults-only sign. For the ancient Greeks, sex was

also pivotal in their humor. Aristophanes, one of Greece's great comic writers, wrote particularly

raunchy plays. The Athenian women in Lacystrati, for instance, embarked on a sex strike in an

attempt to end the Peloponnesian War. The play brims with jokes about promiscuity, double

entendres, and body humor. Allegedly, Aristophanes had 106 ways to describe the phallus and some 91

words for female genitalia. There was also raunchy graffiti scrawled throughout Greece

which was more or less exactly like the kind you see in bathroom stalls. No, seriously

it's so obscene we can't mention it here, so go look it up. To the ancient Greeks

depicting male genitalia in art was not an indecent act. The Herm, a statue of the god Hermes

aka the messenger god and guardian of fertility, was one such portrayal. The god's bust sits atop

an unadorned pillar, save for a realistically rendered phallus at the appropriate level

Herms sat outside people's houses, near temples, at crossroads. People even used them as signposts

In 415 BCE, during the Peloponnesian War, a vandal chopped off the genitals of the Hermes

of Athens. Some accused an Athenian statesman, Alcidiades, of the vandalism. He denied the charges

and his enemies sentenced him to execution in absentia. They took their statues very seriously

In ancient Greece, with sex being so matter-of-fact, it reasonable to assume sexual self too would appear less taboo Though it wasn considered as uncouth a conversational topic as it is in modern times self was usually an object of humor as in Aristophanes play

where the public deemed it an inferior, silly act. Forms of self-gratification took prominence in art

but they often depicted lesser non-citizens, such as women partaking in the act

These illustrations often showed self-pleasure during or after a physically charged event, such as a symposium

Frequently, it was the female workers pleasuring themselves, not the men. Self-pleasure was also associated with slaves as a symbol of their lowly status

Koitis had widespread acceptance in Greek society, but the pleasure oneself without another person involved was embarrassing by Greek standards

Despite their comparatively liberal views on sex, romantic kissing was considered taboo

Kissing was more the domain of greetings. Later, the Romans, who adapted much from Greek cultures, greeted one another with a kiss on the lips

In ancient Greece, kisses between families and pacts between men were more socially acceptable than kisses between men and women in public

Regardless of their relationship, the public viewed women who passionately kissed others disreputable and domineering

an undesirable trait, as women were expected to play a passive role

If a man did opt to kiss his wife, it was likely to check if she was drinking when he was away

The patriarchal norms of ancient Greece, combined with mythology filled with gods snatching up human women

imply that assault was not a heinous offense. The Greek gods, particularly Zeus

were notorious for tricking women into having sex with them. Turns out Mount Olympus was full of close-up magicians

Though the gods weren't like the aspirational, flawless figures of other religions, it's clear the attitudes toward assault were more relaxed back then

In fact, seducing a married woman was allegedly a worse crime, as it required one man to treat another man's property as his own, making it a kind of theft

Herodotus's writings, which were reportedly echoed by the Greeks, said that while forcing oneself on someone was unjust, it did not need avenging

The Greeks valued sex as part of their culture, which meant not having it was a problem

so they devised all kinds of cures for impotence. Treatments involving snakes were popular because

as they believed snakes could self-heal, which, no, they can't. You're thinking of geckos, ancient Greeks

Likewise since lizards had associations with prowess in the bedroom consuming a lizard allegedly improved their libido Another cure entailed rubbing male genitalia with a mixture of pepper and honey Some ancient Greeks hypothesized that simply feeling anxiety

about sex could cause impotence. However, these remedies were all male-focused. As with many things in ancient Greece

little was written about women's intimate problems or medicinal solutions. Sex work was a legal occupation for both men

and women in ancient Greece. Athenian women were largely homemakers, and they required an escort

to venture out into the city. Some women, like ladies of the night, concubines, and courtesans

had a little more freedom due to their status in Greek society. There were also state-run

bordellos in ancient Greece. These parlors typically offered enslaved people, but some

women became porne, or streetwalkers. Concubines were a somewhat higher class, as they usually had

a contract with one man rather than to a bordello. Courtesans were the highest class

They had an education and could entertain men with both their wit and body, thinking

Nara and Firefly. However, there was still a stigma. Male sex workers couldn't work in public service later in life

The common belief was that people who sold their bodies could easily succumb to political bribes

In English, love means everything from what we feel for our families

to romantic love or to our enjoyment of the latest Transformers movie

In ancient Greece, this wasn't the case. There were different types of love

and each had distinct words and gods associated with it. Aphrodite, one of the most famous deities of love

reigns over intimate love. Today, the word aphrodisiac was derived from her name

in case you were wondering. Similarly, the god Eros ruled over intimate passion

and the word erotic stems from his name. If there weren't a specific god to rule over a particular type of love

the ancient Greeks had unique words for them. Ludus is a playful, fun love

the kind often found between children or honeymoon stage lovers, while agape is a form of altruistic universal love

Prama refers to long-lasting love cultivated over time. Hangry describes one's love for Snickers, etc

These aren't all of the love types defined in Greek society, but by having a variety

they could separate desire, romance, relations, and play to emphasize their beliefs about each concept

Meanwhile, we just have the one word, but it is surprisingly versatile and is likewise

used to describe many different types of affection. Maybe those Greeks were onto something