Pederastic Mentorship in Ancient Greece

It was typical for young Greek boys to serve as apprentices to elder men in Ancient Greece. This applied to all of Ancient Greece, including Sparta, in addition to Athens. Their version of formal schooling was that. In Greek civilization, young boys had to complete apprenticeships to advance.

A mentor's and his mentee's relationship was subject to certain rules. To begin with, it only persisted until the mentee had a beard. The mentor was also in charge. The goal of these mentorships was to educate the young people about all facets of life, which occasionally included sex. The Greeks' relationship with sex was more about want, desire, or aphrodisia than it was about love.

An eromenos, or a submissive partner in homosexual partnerships, was the mentee. When the eromenos was prepared to integrate into Greek society as an adult would be decided by the mentor. If the adult avoided having sex with the young boy, it indicated the boy was prepared. However, the eromenos were expected to cooperate out of respect and appreciation if the mentor continued to engage them sexually. Although the laws differed from polis to polis, this was a frequent practice in Ancient Greece.

While many people today consider it to be an abuse of power, the ancient world did not share our perspective. Instead, it was merely a phase of boyhood for them. While many people today consider it to be an abuse of power, the ancient world did not share our perspective. Instead, it was merely a phase of boyhood for them. The Greek culture had diverse attitudes around sex. Therefore, despite the fact that some parts of pederasty were disapproved of, it was nonetheless widespread at the time.