Research Guides: CSTS 216: Sex and Power in the Ancient World (HC): Primary Sources

Source Anthologies

Collections of primary texts in anthologies can be good for browsing. They touch on many different issues, often excerpting brief passages from full works that you can find in the tricolleges or through interlibrary loan.

The primary source collections below relate to the history of sexuality in ancient Greece. You can find more primary source collections in the tricolleges by searching for sources and Greek culture as in these examples:

Title contains (source* OR anthology) AND Subject contains (greece OR greek)

Limited to English Language and Publication Years = 1980-2019

Results for

Games of Venus: An Anthology of Greek and Roman Erotic Verse from Sappho to Ovid by Peter Bing; Rip Cohen
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Publication Date: 1991-10-10
This collection of Greek and Latin erotic poems contains an introduction acquainting the reader with ancient sexual mores in their social setting, and offering a helpful guide to reading ancient erotic verse. Poems are prefaced by brief sketches of each poet's life and times.
Greek and Roman Sexualities by Jennifer Larson
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Publication Date: 2012-11-08
This volume offers a selection of primary sources documenting sexualities, sexual behaviors, and perceptions of sex, sexuality, gender, and the body among people in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Texts include poetry, history, oratory, medical and philosophical writings, letters, and inscriptions, both public and private.
Homosexuality in Greece and Rome by Thomas K. Hubbard (Editor)
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Publication Date: 2003-05-12
The most important primary texts on homosexuality in ancient Greece and Rome are translated into modern, explicit English and collected together here. The volume includes well-known writings by Plato, Sappho, and Aeschines as well as graffiti, comic fragments, magical papyri, medical treatises, and selected artistic evidence.
The Law of Ancient Athens by David Phillips
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Publication Date: 2013-10-14
This book contains the principal literary and epigraphical sources, in English, for Athenian law in the Archaic and Classical periods. The translator has added significant introductory and explanatory material. Topics covered include marriage, children, and sexual offenses involving rape and prostitution. If you prefer a paper copy, check Tripod.
Legal Speeches of Democratic Athens by Andrew Wolpert and Konstantinos Kapparis, editors and translators
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Publication Date: 2011-03-04
Presents translations of speeches along with detailed notes and explanations concerning Athenian, law, court procedure and politics. The Oxford Bibliographies cites the speeches Lysias 1, Demosthenes 59, and Aeschines 1 in this book as key for the study of sexuality.
Sex and Sexuality in Classical Athens by James Robson
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Publication Date: 2013-11-30
From courtship and marriage to adultery and prostitution, Sex and Sexuality in Classical Athens takes a broad look at the sex lives and sexual beliefs of ancient Athenians. Chapters such as "Same-sex Relationships" and "Sex and the Law" explore both ancient accounts of sexual behavior and the different ways in which modern scholars have understood them. This book also contains a wide selection of original sources, providing direct access to the ancient evidence.
Sexuality in Greek and Roman Literature and Society by Marguerite Johnson; Terry Ryan
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Publication Date: 2005-06-27
This Sourcebook contains numerous original translations of ancient poetry, inscriptions and documents, all of which illuminate the multifaceted nature of sexuality in antiquity. The detailed introduction provides full social and historical context for the sources, and guides students on how to use the material most effectively. Themes such as marriage, prostitution and same-sex attraction are presented comparatively, with material from the Greek and Roman worlds shown side by side.
Women in the Classical World by Elaine Fantham;
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Publication Date: 1994-09-15
This book gives equal weight to written texts and artistic representations, bringing together materials--poetry, vase painting, legislation, medical treatises, architecture, religious and funerary art, women's ornaments, historical epics, political speeches, even ancient coins--to present women in their cultural contexts. Both the art and literature highlight women's creativity, sexuality and coming of age, marriage, religious and public roles, and other themes.
Women's Life in Greece and Rome by Mary R. Lefkowitz; Maureen B. Fant
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Publication Date: 2016-08-01
Now in its fourth edition, this sourcebook examines the public and private lives and legal status of Greek and Roman women. The texts represent women of all social classes, from public figures to priestesses, poets, and intellectuals, to working women, such as musicians, wet nurses, and prostitutes, to homemakers. Includes texts from hard-to-find sources, such as inscriptions, papyri, and medical treatises, many of which have not previously been translated into English.

Translations

Tripod often lists a translation under the author's name + translations into _____:

The Oxford Bibliography Online essays on Aristophanes and Sappho recommend a number of translations including these:

"Apart from the texts with facing translations (the editions by Henderson [Aristophanes 1998–2008; see Texts and Commentaries: General], and Sommerstein [Aristophanes 1980–2001; see Texts and Commentaries: Individual Plays]), there are several good versions available, with differing degrees of fidelity to the originals, colloquial verve, and performability. Barrett (Aristophanes 1964) and Barrett and Sommerstein (Aristophanes 2003) are reliable and entertaining versions. Halliwell’s (Aristophanes 1997) verse translation is particularly to be recommended for accuracy; Slavitt and Bovie (Aristophanes 1998a) are much more free and wild and have alarmed some scholars, but they are fun." OBO Aristophanes - Translations

"Older, attractive literary translations are by Barnard (Sappho 1958); a number of Barnard’s poetic renderings attempt to “reconstruct” the plot of the poems. Campbell 1982 provides literal and accurate translations; Campbell’s background and aims are mainly philological. Lombardo’s (Sappho2002b) is a literary translation, but not always reliable and one that hardly captures the brilliance of the original texts. Chandler (Sappho 1998) provides a more lucid literary (but not always accurate) translation. Barnstone’s (Sappho 2006) is a readable, balanced translation. Carson (Sappho 2002a) provides lucid translations. Powell’s (Sappho 2007) is a readable translation, but occasionally inaccurate. West 1993, the most widely available translation, includes the longer fragments of Sappho. West’s outstanding scholarly background is both philological and interdisciplinary; note that this translation reflects many of his textual reconstructions." OBO Sappho - English Translations

Visual Sources

Aphrodite and the Gods of Love
Past exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

JSTOR Images (formerly Artstor)
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A digital library that provides access to thousands of digital images derived from a variety of museum, library and archival collections. You can search by theme as well as culture and time period. If you are a first-time user, register your user name and password so that you can download images.

British Museum Collection Online
Search over 3 million objects in the museum's collections. Use the term medieval and add a relevant keyword. For more precise results, see the Advanced Search. Sample Advanced Search: Erotic* with Dates 600-300 BC and Country Greece.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection Search
Explore art at the Metropolitan. Searching Greek Erotic* results in vases, mirrors, and jewelry as well as some Aubrey Beardsley illustrations from Lysistrata.
Pottery Database
The Beazley Archive at the University of Oxford maintains this extensive database (over 130, 000 images) on ancient Greek vases. It is searchable by theme, type of vase, inscription, painter, technique (e.g., white ground), and collection.
The Beazley Archive's Classical Art Research Centre has many other resources included the digitized Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum and a merged database that draws on 22 separate files including the Pottery Database.

Selected Books on Art and Sexualtiy

The Athenian Woman by Siân Lewis
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Publication Date: 2013-09-05
Ceramics are an unparalleled resource for women's lives in ancient Greece, since they show a huge number of female types and activities. Yet it can be difficult to interpret the meanings, especially when they seem to conflict with literary sources. This study shows that it is vital to see the vases within an archaeological context. If you prefer a paper copy, please check Tripod.
A Companion to Greek Art by Tyler Jo Smith (Editor); Dimitris Plantzos (Editor)
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ISBN: 1118273311
Publication Date: 2012-04-02
A comprehensive overview of the development of Greek art through the 1st millennium BC. It deals with forms of art as well as the meaning of imagery. Note in particular this essay: "Sex, Gender and Sexuality" by Timothy McNiven. If you prefer a paper copy, please check Tripod.
Gender and the Body in Greek and Roman Sculpture by Rosemary Barrow; Michael Silk (Prepared for Publication by)
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Publication Date: 2018-10-11
Offers incisive analysis of ancient art through a critical use of theory from gender studies, body studies, art history and other related fields. The author gives close attention to both original context and modern experience. Accessible and fully illustrated, her book features new translations of ancient sources and a glossary of Greek and Latin terms.
Greek Erotica on Attic Red-Figure Vases by Martin F. Kilmer
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Publication Date: 1993-08-26
Presents a systematic collection of sex scenes on Athenian ceramics with descriptions and classifications. The period covered is 530 to 460 BC.
Images of Ancient Greek Pederasty by Eva Cantarella; Andrew Lear
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Publication Date: 2008-06-02
The book shows how painters used the language of vase-painting to cast pederasty in an idealizing light, portraying it as part of a world in which beautiful elite males display praiseworthy attitudes, such as moderation, and engage in approved activities, such as hunting, athletics, and the symposium.
Sex on Show by Caroline Vout
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Publication Date: 2013-11-06
Caroline Vout examines the abundance of sexual imagery in Greek and Roman culture. Meanings connect to ancient attitudes toward religion, politics, sex, gender, and the body. They also reveal how the ancients saw themselves and their world, and how subsequent centuries have seen them.