Pederasty in ancient Greece
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Greek pederasty, as idealised by the Greeks from archaic times onward, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. It was seen by the Greeks as an essential element in their culture from the time of Homer onwards. However, marriages in Ancient Greece between men and women were also age structured, with men in their 30s commonly taking wives in their early teens.
The term derives from the combination of pais (Greek for 'boy') with erastēs (Greek for 'lover'; cf. eros). The Greeks considered it normal for any man to be drawn to the beauty of a boy—just as much if not more than to that of a woman. What they disagreed upon was whether and how to express that desire.
Pederasty is closely associated with the customs of athletic and artistic nudity in the gymnasia, delayed marriage for gentlemen, symposia and seclusion of women. It was also integral to Greek military training, and at times a factor in the deployment of troops.
