Dubious dating habits
Apart from their love of urine, dung or sweat, nothing would quite disgust the modern-day observer quite like their attitude to sex and relationships. In many ways the Ancient Greeks were, it should be acknowledged, pretty conservative. A man of good standing was expected to marry a woman from a similar background and start a family. Infidelity was frowned upon, especially with non-slaves. However, when it comes to their approach to men dating younger boys, the Ancient Greek way would be considered highly disgusting, not to mention illegal, in today’s world.
In the Hellenistic world, it was accepted, indeed expected, for a Greek man to take a younger boy as a lover. It was always up to the older man to do the pursuing and this is where the rooster comes in. A man, upon seeing a youngster who took his fancy, would present the object of his affection (or, if we’re being honest, the object of his lust) with a live rooster. In Greek society, this would have been seen as a gift that would be hard to turn down, and few young boys did. And so began the relationship.
It’s often pointed out that the relationship between man and boy would not be limited to the bed-chamber alone. This is true to an extent. A man was expected to serve as a mentor or tutor to his younger lover, paying as much attention to his brain and soul as to his body. However, in almost every case, physical attraction trumped every other consideration. Greek men would be on the lookout for the best-looking youngsters, with bodies defined by the gym highly prized. In some cases, men would be openly boastful of their young lovers.
But, of course, such relationships couldn’t last. It was customary for the man to release his young companion as soon as the latter started to grow facial hair. Indeed, in a weird twist, dating a grown man was frowned upon, only young boys without facial hair were seen as acceptable companions. Once a relationship had come to its natural conclusion, the older man was, of course, free to pursue a new lover, while the younger man would soon be free to find a boy of his own. And so the tradition continued through the generations.