In Bed with the Ancient Greeks

From what the Ancient Greeks might have talked about in bed to women’s health and the intricacies of Greek marriage, Paul Chrystal shines a much-needed light on sex and sexuality in ancient Greece, one of the world’s most influential civilizations.

This is a balanced, comprehensive and researched analysis of the many layers of sex and sexuality in the various Greek societies – from the Minoan civilisation, through Athens and the other city states, through Sparta and Hellenistic Greece. Along the way we examine pederasty in Greek society, homosexualty and prostitution. There are also chapters on sexual medicine, attitudes to sexual violence, sex in literature, drama, the visual arts, mythological sex, sex and magic, sex in Greek philosophy and religion, concluding with a chapter on the various women and men who populated the life of Alexander the Great.