Bisexuality in the Ancient World

by Eva Cantarella

Book Overview

Bisexuality was intrinsic to the cultures of the ancient world. In both Greece and Roman, sexual relationships between men were acknowledged, tolerated and widely celebrated in literature and art. For the Greeks and Romans, homosexuality was not an exclusive choice, but alternative to and sometime simultaneous with the love of a woman.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300048440
• ISBN13: 9780300048445
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Essential For All Gay Males; Especially Questioning Youth

This is the most thorough book on the subject of homosexual sex and bisexuality in the ancient world that I have ever read. It is filled with fascinating information on the topic compiled and analyzed by the author. Rather than go into the merits of this book I want to take this space to encourage all questioning young men who stumbled upon this review to read this. If I had had this book when I was 12 or 13 I would have been far, far better off. The common stereotype that we all know is that homosexual males are effeminate, weak sissies or they are incredibly masculine and dress in leather, all the while proving the former stereotype. The muscle men with mustaches and tattoos are simply compensating for their self-hatred and feelings of not "being a man". This book shows that it was not always this way. Homosexual relationships were considered spiritual, educational and good. Those of you who watched the movie 300 about Thermopylae may not know that those brave warriors who defended their country to the last man were almost certainly bisexual if not homosexual. But they weren't trying to prove anything about themselves. They were regular guys doing what men do and doing it courageously. Those Spartan warriors were the ultimate heroes. My point is do not beat yourself up by thinking you are going to end up as Boy George or something. You may be part of an elite group of men who know much more than the average person does about love and life and what it means to be a man. If you are effeminate so be it. That is, of course, fine. But if you are like I was as a teenager the concept of homosexuality did not sit well with me at first as I was always a traditionally masculine American boy. When I finally accepted who I was I searched out role models and could fine virtually no one who was like me. The closest I came was William Burroughs (he took heroin and shot guns so he beat out everyone else), for whom I still have some respect, but who is also a dead end psychologically, morally, practically and philosophically. What I am suggesting is that this book provides a concept of homosexuality and bisexuality free of the persecution imposed upon it by later cultures (check out my other reviews and you will get a clue as to who I blame). Read it and live it. There is nothing wrong with you. You are a man just as much as anyone else. Moreso perhaps. This book may make it easier for you to understand that. You might also want to watch some Rock Hudson, Randolph Scott, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn, James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Cary Grant movies. Just a friendly afterthought. They were all either gay or bisexual and every man in the country wanted to be just like them.

lots of good stuff, a few problems

First the problems. When a scholar uses such a wide range of sources, it is inevidentual that some will be used better than others. I think Cantarella has a good grasp of the legal and epigraphical evidence but her use of literature and plays is more tenuous. Likewise she crosses over from time periods at times, combining Greek sources from a Roman context into her discussion about Greece when they might best be a reflection of a new multiculture world. Finally, I can tell this was done on a computer. Several pages are word for word from her previous book "Pandora's Daughters". Computers are wonderful things but I don't think they should take the place of writing something new. There are several good points about this book. She uses a wide range of sources and attempts to place "reality" apart from "philosophy" a difference often overlooked in scholarship it seems. Her attempt to look at women's bisexuality is good though limited by the sources available. Finally the book is written clearly so that both scholar and non-scholar can appreciate and learn from it.

Not as recent as some might have us believe...

This is a delightful book that makes a delicious change from the normal books on bisexuality. Full of great stories and a wonderous insight from start to finish, it kept me enthralled until the last page and then made me wish for more. It's rather refreshing to see something that deals with a history of bisexuality, rather than a personal insight. This made it even more of a gem, but in itself it is a must for every bi bookcase.