Were roman soldiers gay

The primary dichotomy of ancient Roman sexuality was active / dominant / masculine and passive / submissive / feminine. Roman society was patriarchal, and the freeborn male citizen possessed political liberty (libertas) and the right to rule both himself and his household (familia). A Roman soldier, like every free and self-respecting Roman, was socially obligated to discipline, also in matters of sexuality.

In the Roman military of the Republic period, any manifestations of homosexuality were severely exterminated. The Roman army was a highly structured and disciplined institution, and soldiers were expected to prioritize loyalty, duty, and camaraderie. While explicit evidence about homosexuality in the Roman army is limited, historical accounts and cultural norms provide some context. Sergius and Bacchus were high-ranking Roman soldiers during the reign of emperor Galerius, at the beginning of the fourth century.

They were originally described as erastai, meaning lovers, indicating they were engaged in an erotic homosexual relationship. But records of these LGBT romances survived homophobic revisionists and still stand as celebrations of the original Greek (and Roman) love. 1. Hadrian and Antinous.

Roman Emperor Hadrian. Go to page. During the time of the Republic, Roman citizens had the right libertas to protect their bodies from physical coercion, including both corporal punishment and sexual violence. Roman society was typically patriarchal and masculinity was based on the principle of governing not only oneself but also other persons, especially those from the lower class.

It was socially acceptable for a free-born Roman to have sex with a woman or a man assuming a dominant role. Both women and young men were perceived as natural objects of desire. Outside of marriage , a man could have sex with slaves , prostitutes who were usually slaves and the so-called infames the restricted man.

It did not matter with which gender the Roman indulged in until he did not exceed certain social norms. During imperial times, the fear of losing political freedom and submitting to power to the emperor led to an increase in the frequency of free-born men assuming a passive position during sex. This is evidenced by the sources that mention a greater number of executions and corporal punishment imposed on free citizens of Rome.

homosexuality in rome vs greece

Generally speaking, in civilian life homosexuality was rather rare and treated with disfavour as evidenced by references in source texts , where things that were outrageous, characteristic and not often encountered were recorded , and such relations were tolerated, as I have mentioned, if a Roman citizen was the active party otherwise, Roman blood was contaminated. Caesar was sent there on the orders of praetor Marcus Minucius Thermus from Asia to obtain a Bithynian fleet to help in the siege of the city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.

He carried out this mission very well, and even managed to become closer friends with the king. It was often suggested — probably rightly — that they were lovers. From this, we can conclude that Caesar was bisexual, later known for his famous affairs with numerous women; bisexuality was a common phenomenon among the Roman aristocracy at the time.

The attack on Caesar stemmed from the fact that he was supposedly the passive party during intercourse. It was also important for a Roman to have sex with a man who was in some way socially inferior younger, lower class, slave. In this way, the stereotype of the Roman, commander and conqueror was preserved. Homosexuality among men was tolerated and accepted, but it was certainly not the rule.

So if any high-ranking free-born Roman allowed himself to be passive during intercourse, he risked mockery. Their victim was, among others Mark Antony , who had a long relationship with Publius Clodius. Cicero ridiculed this account in fourteen malicious Philipics , mentioning, inter alia, the escape of the future triumvir over the roofs from the angry father of his lover.

Loud — because very unusual — was also the relationship between Marcus Antony and his peer, Scribonia Curio. It was to no avail, Marcus Antony broke in, through the roof, only to satisfy the need to meet his lover. Not only Marcus Antony was famous for male lovers. Emperor Vitellius always prepared an exclusive menu for his young lovers, aimed at stimulating the imagination and potency: wild boar liver, pheasant brain, flamingo tongues and dandelion moray.

Known for his extremely audacious — not only sexual — practitioners of Caligula his first official lover Lepidus married his sister with whom he also remained in an active erotic relationship. However, Lepidus joined a group of conspirators who planned to deprive the emperor of power, for which he sentenced him to be beheaded. He then anointed Valenius Catullus as his official lover, who — whether out of his innate bragging rights or to lick his ruler — bragged all over the city that he was insanely sore after making love with Caligula.

However, Caligula, with the consistent characteristic of the mentally ill, although he himself is strongly bisexual, ordered all homosexuals to be sent to hard labour in Sardinia one day. Roman dictator Lucius Sulla was not free from homosexuality, too, he always took with him, for every war and expedition, a host of his young lover. Despite the fact that the Romans viewed marriage as a heterosexual relationship for procreation, in the early Empire, some homosexual couples managed to get married in the company of friends.

Marcjalis and Juwenalis mention such weddings.