Sex and Sexuality in ancient Greece

Having studied and specialised in ancient Greek culture and literature ( Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) I was often intrigued by the inconsistency in what the public opinion was -and still is- about sexuality in ancient Greece and the hard facts that I encountered when studying that ancient Greek culture for myself. So here's a small report on the matter,based off on personal studies studying and exercising,to the best of my abilities,critical thinking.

Sexuality in ancient Greece

When we use the term ancient Greece we refer to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting from 750 BC (the archaic period) to 146 BC (the Roman conquest),

The sexual habits of the ancient Greeks have been greatly misunderstood. This happens because of the misinterpretation of the sources, or the biased Christian morality. People often disagree over the specific subject and that's why average readers are often torn between two or more theories.Such an example of controversy is the alleged homosexuality of the ancient Greek society.But first things first.

The sexual preferences of the ancient Greeks were often represented in plenty of vases, dating mostly between the 6th and the 4th century B.C. To begin with, there were vases of religious-devotional character, mostly associated with fertility, others had the role of warding off evil, and others were indeed intended to provide sexual stimulation. There were finally some vases whose main purpose was humorous and where the artist painted his fancy. ( if you would like to see those depictions for yourself,a quick google search is all you need).


All the possible ways and positions of copulation are depicted: vaginal, anal, fellatio, cunnilingus, masturbation,(who do you think invented dildos,people? During those ancient times women were masturbating with the help of a leather dildo called olisbos or baubon which was manufactured in Miletus which was a wealthy city and then exported to other countries as well), use of sex aids, threesomes, sixty-nine, sadism, orgies, bestiality etc.There is only one known depiction that could be considered lesbian sex but even there it is not clear whether the scene is sexual or not because it is not sexually explicit.


 Fellatio (the man receiving oral sex) and cunniligus( the woman receiving oral sex) were very rarely  depicted. Cunniligus was rarely depicted either because it was frowned upon as a practice or probably because the aim was for the male clientele to be aroused by the scenes and not the other way round or  because all the erotic scenes were with the hetaerae(=higly paid and educated prostitutes) from whom men wanted something more male-pleasure oriented than pussy eating.


Fellatio was also rarely depicted  because it was not considered 'manly' enough; even though it is the woman who offers pleasure the man remains passive as the woman is the one who acts. But being passive in bed was seen as not manly enough for men at a society that manliness, along with bravery,was one of the highest virtues a male could possess. So in order to balance this male passivity the artists depicts heterae kneeling in a position of submission.However,the missionary position is nowhere to be seen since usually women are shown on their knees or bent forward or lying on their back with their legs on the man's shoulders. Another rare position is a woman seated on a reclined man (like the picture above).

There was of course a general feeling of appreciation for the naked human body and its sexual functions unimaginable for most western societies that have come out of centuries of puritanism. For example,it was a common belief that the phallus and the eye possessed mighty powers over the Evil Eye and accordingly people used both as amulets. Athens was full of hermes, marble pillars with elaborate head (of Hermes, or other gods later) and a phallus. On some vases we frequently see the two main symbols combined in one -a large phallus with an eye or pair of eyes! Again,this so frequent use of the phallus, may be explained by the supremacy of men.


In spite of (perceived) male dominance,as far as rape against women and children was concerned, it was considered to be a criminal act and the rapist had to pay a double fine to the victim and the state as well. The fine was quite high for the time, about a hundred drachmas: 

Εαν τις υβριζη εις τινα η παιδα η γυναικα

 η ανδρα των ελευθερων η των δουλων

 η παρανομον τι ποiηση εις τουτων τινα 

γραφεσθω προς
τους θεσμοθετας ο βουλομενος Αθηναιων 

οις εξεστιν οι δε θεσμοθεται εισαγοντων

 εις την ηλιαιαν τριακοντα ημερων 

αφ ης γραφη. Οτου δ
αν καταγνω η Ηλιαια τιματω αυτου 

παραχρημα οτου αν δοκη αξιος ειναι 

παθειν η αποτεισαι>>.

(Νομος υβρεως,Δημοσθ.Κατα Μειδιου 47)

Meaning <<Whoever abuses any child or woman

 be they free or slaves or breaks the law 

regarding to them should be accused of

 commiting a public offense from
any Athenian that wants and has the right (to sue) 

before the lawmakers and they 

must at the latest in a month to bring him to trial 

to be judged and suffer 

the consequenses of the law

(note the word used for 'abuse',it was 'commit hubris'=commit a sin agains Gods)

[Here I cant help but compare how the Bible advocates the death penalty for innocent victims of rape along with the guilty party:
Leviticus, Chapter 20: “14: And if a man takes a woman and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you''.]


In ancient Greece the most severe punishment of all,death, was kept for pimping:

Και τους προαγωγους γραφεσθαι κελευει

 (the law) καν αλωσι θανατω ζημιουσι>>. 

Αισχιν. Κατα Τιμαρχου

Meaning'' to those condemned of pimping the penalty of death is given''

However,prostitution was not frowned upon. Hetaerae were independent and sometimes influential,highly paid 'call girls' of the time, women who were required to wear distinctive dresses and had to pay taxes. Mostly ex-slaves from other cities, these courtesans were renowned for their achievements in dance and music, as well as for their physical and intellectual talents. Τhey were the only women who actively took part in the symposia, where their opinion was welcomed and respected by men. Hetaerae should not be confused with common prostitutes of the time, who sold sex by the act and worked on the streets or out of brothels. They were the only class of women in ancient Greece with access to and independent control over considerable amounts of money.(remember,pimping was condemned by death...)

Now on to the homosexuality subject:

 Television,cinema and corrupt historians have created misconceptions about ancient Greeks and the widespread use of homosexuality in them,for marketing or other murky reasons of their own. Let's see if the ancient texts support this popular view:


First off, homosexuality was,is and will go on being a part of any society throughout history. So of course it was part of ancient Greek society as well. However,ancient Greeks could be considered one of the least tolerant of societies regarding homosexuals: the latter were forbidden to take any public position or become priests or even vote or speak their mind in public:

Αν τις Αθηναιων εταιρηση 

μη εξεστω αυτω των εννεα αρχοντων 

γενεσθαι μηδ ιεροσυνην ιερωσασθαι 

μηδε συνδικησαι τω δημω μην αρχην

 αρχετω ουδεμιαν μητε ενδημω 

μητε υπεροριον μητε κληρωτην 

μητε χειροτονητην μηδ επικηρυκειαν

 αποσταλλεσθω μηδε γνωμην 

λεγετω μηδ εις τα δημοτελη ιερα εισιτω

 μηδ εν ταις κοιναις στεφανηφοριαις 

στεφανουσθω μηδ εντος των της αγορας 

περιρραντηριων πορευεσθω . 

Εαν δε τις ταυτα ποιη καταγνωσθεντο

 αυτου εταιρειν θανατω ζημιουσθω>>.
(Αισχινης Κατα Τιμαρχου 52 , 1)

Meaning <<Whoever Athenian gives his body 

to be had(sexually) by another man is forbidden

 to be elected as one of the nine lords 

and be a priest or lawyer or any place in public office

 or any other position internal or external by voting

 or chance and never to be sent as messenger

 never to speak before the parliament or the forum (Agora) 

or to enter in public temples or take part in public festivals

 or wear the festive ring of Demeter and enter the market.
Whoever condemned thus breaks the following prohibitions

 must be tied <<δησαντων αυτον>> 

and once the civilians have tied him to be delivered

to the eleven to be slain 

before the day has passed <<τεθνατω αυθημερον>>

According to various plays (comedies) like Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusae homosexuality and sexual relations between two men were unacceptable and condemned by society in general and not just by the state. The passive homosexual was the most disgraced since he was the one penetrated, not because of moral reasons but because he had chosen to take on the role of the woman and denounce his male nature.( It was considered both an honor and an obligation to be a real man).That's why there aren't many scenes showing anal intercourse between men.




Homosexuals were called ''κιναιδοι'', (κινω+ αιδω) meaning the ones that 'move',cause shame,the ones devoid of shame. You can tell a lot about a society from the way it names its people. In modern Greek the slang expression for gay is 'sister',in English the word 'gay' holds a positive connotation since it means 'the merry one',but in ancient Greece a homosexual  was called 'the one devoid of shame' or'the one resembling a whore'=εταιριζων..

The only logical explanation for this harsh treatment

 from the most free and liberal state of ancient Greece

 is the regard of such actions as abomination (μιασμα)

 as a disgusting act that made them ''οιονει εναγεις ''

=forever polluted, that <<εμιαινον>> polluted the city 

thus and divine wrath would fall on everyone . 

This is also proven from the fact that they had 

the same treatment as murderers ,that is

to remain out of any public event or sacred places

 and lose all civil rights.

Note: Please do not start ranting about me being a homophobic because of posting this information because I assure you I am not. One's sexual preferences is none of my business or concern and any variations in them are as good as anybody else's,so long as they do no harm to anyone. We're all in the same shit, just different shit for each one of us, according to taste and preferences. I am just presenting facts taken from authentic sources here and letting you form your own opinion .The only thing that I hate and I am indignant about is the intentional manipulation of historical facts to present a story that simply isn't true.