Ancient Greek homoerotic lore remains influential through modern pop culture. New claims about Greek mythology include Hercules having male lovers. Speculation continues about sexual practices and hygiene, including whether douching occurred. Sex took place within male-centric spaces under patriarchal, classist structures, and it was broadly tolerated. Greek sexual activity included penetrative sex and intercrural sex, reflected in contemporary artwork. Roles existed, with both receptive and active partners possible, but bottoming involved specific social and practical considerations. The text frames these questions as not one-size-fits-all, implying variation across people and contexts.
"The story of the Mediterranean gayborhood that was ancient Greece might feel like ancient history, and technically, sure, it is. But for queer people, the homoerotic lore of that particular period antiquity stays forever alive, and forever young, thanks to just how embedded it remains in pop culture. Why else would people currently be having heated arguments about Christopher Nolan's Odyssey casting, or picking apart the details of Connor Storrie's Greek God-inspired Met Gala outfit?"
"We know those guys were having plenty of sex, but did they do any douching? Was fleeting a thing back then, and if so... how??? How about we take this to the next level? Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy."
"Those Greeks might not have had Grindr, but they didn't need it. In all the male-centric spaces created by a patriarchal, deeply classist government, sex was free-flowing, and even if it perhaps wasn't as out and proud as we might imagine, it was definitely tolerated to the point where it seems like nobody really cared who was having sex with men and who wasn't."
"But the sex they were having wasn't always traditional. While ancient Greeks definitely enjoyed a lot of penetrative sex, they had a lot of intercrural sex, which shows up on a lot of artwork from the time. So yes, there were definitely tops and bottoms, but there was also plenty of side action. Did they bottom? Yes, of course they did-but bottoming came with a whole host of specifi"
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