Ancient Greek Sexuality

From the civilization that brought us Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Homer, ancient Greek sexuality did not reflect the lofty and high ideas and ideals discussed by these great thinkers and writers.

When it came to defining sexual attitudes among women, it was Socrates who first noted that there were 3 distinct types or appetites, each comprising about thirty percent of the population; Wives, Prostitutes and Hetaerae.

In this very patriarchal society, there was very little equality among the sexes.

Ancient Greek sexuality generally regarded women as chattel, a bartering collateral for families to increase their wealth and position in this male dominated society.

A woman had no say in who she would marry. It was up to her father to decide. It is no wonder then, that many Greek women had no interest in sexual pleasure.

If her father was deceased, then her brother would decide her marital choice. It was only when all the males in her childhood had passed on that, if she still wasn’t married, that she could make any decisions regarding her own life.

According to Socrates, women with the wife mentality generally did not like having sex and only succumbed to it to continue the family bloodline and as their duty. When we think about this kind of union today, it is easy to understand why this woman didn’t like sex and preferred to stop having sex as soon as her children were born.

Since she hadn’t picked him, didn’t have any emotional ties to him, and was usually betrayed by him with prostitutes, it is no wonder that ‘wives’ didn’t like or want sex. Today about one third of women still have the wife attitude.

They see sex as an obligation to make babies, a chore, and as soon as their children are born, cease any interest in sexual relations.

Prostitutes originally were the women on the corner or in the brothels. These women used sex as a bartering tool. With sex they would make money, buy expensive jewelry, or just use it to survive.

They didn’t particularly like having sex, but who could blame them? Sex for them was just the price they had to pay to survive. Today, this prostitute mentality is seen among at least thirty percent of the female population.

Although women today with the prostitute mentality don’t necessarily stand on corners or work in brothels, they still choose a partner because of what he can get for them; security, money, or property. It seems prostitute attitude has remained from the days of ancient Greek sexuality into the present.

Some of the most influential men in ancient Greek history had a companion that was Hetaerae. A confidante, sounding board, friend, and lover, she used her intuition to warn him of treachery, engage his intellect, and keep him sexually satisfied like no other.

These Hetaerae were and still are the most sought after women in history. Today, only about thirty percent of women still have the Hetaerae attitude and continue to make the best lovers.

Ancient Greek sexuality defined the attitudes and appetites of women. Those definitions are still very relevant as they help us understand our sexual appetite.