Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

Mate HOMOSEXUALITY

women; they are men to women, and women to men.” ‘The affected behaviour of such people is often ridiculed, as in Aristophanes: “‘I wish, O youth, to ask you who you are. Of what land, you weakling ? What’s your country, what means thy garb ? Why all this confusion of fashions ? What does the harp prattle to the saffron-coloured robe ? What the lyre to the headdress ? What mean the oil-flask and the girdle? How unsuitable! What connection then between a mirror and a sword? And you yourself, O youth, are you reared as a man? Why, where are the tokens of a man? Where is your cloak? Where are your boots? Oras a woman then? Where then are your breasts ? What do you say? Why are you silent? Nay then, Pll judge of you from your song, since you are not willing to tell me yourself ” (Thesm., 134 f.).

Menander describes the behaviour of a cinzdus with a sly hint at Ctesippus, the son of Chabrias, of whom it was said that he had sold even the stones from his father’s grave, to be able to enjoy his lite of pleasure (frag. 363).

In Comedy such effeminate persons have women’s names. ‘Thus Aristophanes speaks of a female Sostratos, that is, instead of the masculine Sostratos he uses the feminine Sostrate, instead of Cleonymus, Cleonyme (Clouds, 678, 680). Cratinus ridicules “pleasure boys”, calling them “little girlies ” ; or the feminine article was sometimes put before the masculine name (CAF., I, 29).

A certain ready, if not always very seemly wit was, of course, required for the invention of actually new and appropriate nicknames, and from the abundant store we may first select the coarse word katarbywv (from myn, bum), which is very common, and is known to every reader of Greek comedy ; just as commonis the still coarser abusive word edputpwxros (broad-bummed).*

A nickname which needs no explanation orpoBiros

1 A grotesque exaggeration is Aaxxompwxros, from Aaxxos cistern.

494