Was gay sex ok in the bc era

The presentation and perception of homosexuality in the Roman world was vastly different than how it is today, and gives us an example of how homosexuality has been indelibly linked with communications of power and authority in antiquity. The Latin language has no word for either heterosexual or homosexual, and instead partners in a sexual relationship would be presented as either active, synonymous with masculinity, or passive and therefore, feminine, regardless of the gender of the individuals involved.

Freeborn male Romans had the civil liberty to do as they pleased when it came to sexual activity, and as such, the concept of a Roman man engaging in homosexual sex was in no way controversial or taboo to the Romans, as long as it fell within certain parameters. Rome was a deeply militarised state, with conquest and dominance deeply ingrained as desirable masculine traits.

As a result of this, men were free to engage in homosexual relationships, so long as they were the active partner with the penetrative power, and the submissive partner was considered to be lower in society than them. Young men specifically between the ages of 12 and 20 were seen as perfectly acceptable sexual partners for a Roman man, and to an extent, there was a cultural expectation for older Romans to seek these kinds of relationships.

However, free Roman boys and young men were strictly off-limits. Essentially, class and status as markers of social difference were far more important factors in determining the viability of a sexual partner than was gender. Hadrian was so affected by this that he had Antinous deified, and a cult dedicated to his worship spread across the empire.

He was approaching an age which would render him too old for his relationship with the Emperor to be socially appropriate, which, if true, demonstrates the strict fixedness of the parameters around which homosexual relations were permitted among Roman men. As well as Hadrian, we hear of Emperor Titus keeping a great number of male concubines, and that Nero married a young man, whom he then had castrated to preserve his youthful qualities.

In summary, homosexuality in ancient Rome was as much about communications of power and status than it was about attraction and emotion, with sex as a vehicle to exercise privilege and dominance. The civil freedoms of a Roman citizen allowed him to engage in such relations with any man lower in society than him, whilst demonstrating his virility and ability to conquer others.

Greece: The Mediterranean's ancient gay-friendly civilisation

It translates so directly to displays of power that Roman men were even known to orally rape their rivals to express their superiority over them whilst ridiculing the victim, although laws were put in place to prosecute the offender and protect the status of the victim.

Skip to content Author: Author Abigail Hudson. Trigger Warning: sexual violence, homophobia, paedophilia, nudity. Same sex relationships are featured in this Greco-Roman drinking cup, British MuseumSex between men transcended all social Emperor Hadrian and his lover Antonius, Piazza della Signoria, Florence classes, and during the Imperial period, we see numerous reports of Roman emperors engaging in such relationships, the most famous being the relationship between Emperor Hadrian r.

Thanks to Ollie Burns!