Most homoerotic movie ever...

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There are indeed erotic vases from Greece, mostly Attic, showing every known kind of sexual intercourse (including toys). Also including scenes of older men ''courting'' younger boys/men, and even, though very rare, having sex with them. However, none come from Sparta, and I will show why below. And I will address homosexuality issue in Greece in general just so we can have some context.

Spartan art is usually concerned with myth, economy, religion, marriage and war. Only one known pictorial depiction of actual intercourse was found in Sparta, and shows somewhat bizarre, probably ritual scene where one of four women is penetrated from behind while being flogged. On the same scene is a satyr with enormous penis pursuing another woman who is lifting a modest garment merely covering her waist area, and probably urinating (or even sweating, being sexually aroused (moist) or less likely - defecating), and two more, semi naked women watching and waiting nearby.

Ivory reliefs from Sparta often show man and woman holding wreaths, symbolizing their romantic connection or marriage. More than half of dedicated lead artifacts (cca 3000) at one of two most important Spartan sanctuaries are exactly those kind of wreaths. Same goes for 6th BC reliefs of husband and wife sitting on a throne like chairs.

Somewhat more explicit are sculptures of women with spread legs, around a dozen were found in Sparta. They are not unusual in ancient art, same as sculptures with erect penis are common motif, but their % in Sparta is notable.

One surviving Spartan stone relief also shows male and female sexual organs.

No other kind of artistic representation of sex or sexual themes exists in Sparta. And as we have seen, all these show heterosexual relationship.

Before I return to Sparta, and literary sources, a word on social aspect of homosexuality in Greece. While it is true there was no word for homosexuality, the concept was well known, and wasn't any more (or arguably less) socially acceptable than today, nor there was a consensus about its acceptance as we are lead to believe. Its acceptance depended on social circles, geography, century etc. but it being widespread in general society, even more than today, is a big no.

Even though not a word for homosexuality as a phenomenon or a sexual orientation, Greeks had a term cinaedus, which would be a derogatory term for male homosexual - a *beep* in modern English. There were other terms as ''wide anused'', ''gaping as*ed'', ''ditch as*'', ''he who is f*ed'', ''one who is bent over'' etc. that were also insults to homosexuals.

Especially the adult homosexuality and 'passive' part of it in particular, was frowned upon, being connected to male effeminacy, one of the most universally hated phenomenons at the time. Aristotle saw wishing to be penetrated in anus as a deformity either from nature of abuse, and even Plato, actually having pro pederastic views, describes male homosexuality as ''shameful'' and ''unnatural''. ''Treating one's body like a woman's'' was considered a ''self abuse'' according to Hyperides.

It isn't that homosexuals who wanted relations with their peers, not just teens, didn't exist. They always do. But they were obviously forced to hide. Graffiti inscriptions on remote rocks on Greek island of Thera/Santorini, mentioning in stereotypically proud (yes, I am alluding to gay pride) yet playful tone, how that is the place one man was ''ridden'' by another, or saying (I) was f*ed here by (name), and even counter graffiti calling them *beep* suggest exactly this need to hide, and are very similar to those gay graffiti in public toilets.

What seem to be more socially acceptable, is pederasty. But apparently only in certain circles, and/or cities (below). And only the 'educational' kind. Using services of boy prostitutes and slaves who would serve only for pleasure was also something that was frowned upon. However, even ''educational'' pederasty was often seen as one of causes of hated effeminacy, and resented upon by general public (homosexual pederastic relations were apparently more of an upper class thing). The fact it often comes up in speeches and satires, directed at wider audience, in mostly negative context, and as a serious accusation that produces shame and undermines someones credibility, often connecting it with prostitution, is indicative of the general (negative) feel towards any kind of homosexual behavior.(Though, as today, lesbians seem to get away with it much easier, even though 'masculine women' did not exactly won hearts of Greeks).

Returning to Sparta. Early Spartan lyric poet, Alcman, wrote songs about Spartan girls admiring their beauty. Spartan state, before being famous for their warriors was famous for the beauty of their women according to one Delphic oracle. Herodotus took interest in more gentle side of Spartans as well, not only warlike, telling us a moving story of a Spartan king, the father of famous Leonidas, who stubbornly refused to remarry, even after his wife was unable to get pregnant. He did succumb to the pressures of other governing bodies in Sparta, and got another woman pregnant, but his wife stayed in his home, and he didn't just divorce her as would be expected. Karma took care of what happened next, and both new and old wife soon gave birth to sons. Notable is also his son Leonidas' relationship with his wife, Gorgo.

Also, somewhat earlier, Spartans went to war with neighboring Messenians over young Spartan women, attacked and possibly raped by Messenians. Nothoi and/or mothakes, bastard children of (unfaithful?) Spartans with helot/slave women are also noted, and existed in considerable number, enough to be given a distinct name.

However, no homosexual or even pederastic relationship was ever mentioned in case of Spartans, despite all these juicy sexual episodes and love intrigues...Except in the following case:

Xenophon says this about ''intimacy with boys'':

''In other Greek states, for instance among the Boeotians, man and boy live together, like married people ; elsewhere, among the Eleians, for example, consent is won by means of favours. Some, on the other hand, entirely forbid suitors to talk with boys.

(In Sparta) The customs instituted by Lycurgus (early Spartan lawgiver, one of the foundations of Spartan society) were opposed to all of these. If someone, being himself an honest man, admired a boy's soul and tried to make of him an ideal friend without reproach and to associate with him, he approved, and believed in the excellence of this kind of training. But if it was clear that the attraction lay in the boy's outward beauty, he BANNED the connexion as an ABOMINATION ; and thus he purged the relationship of all IMPURITY, so that in Lacedaemon (Sparta) it resembled parental and brotherly love.''

So even the only acceptable homosexual relationship in (some parts of) Greece - between a teen boy and mature man, was banned in Sparta by law (and we know how strictly they held to their laws), as impure and seen as an abomination. That is why no artistic or any other kind of representation of any kind of homosexual relation exists from Sparta. And that is why some claims of Spartan homosexuality are groundless, and mere ideological or political tools for some present struggles.