It always amazes me how many famous ancient Greeks and Romans were homosexuals, or actually bisexuals : Alexander, Julius Caesar, Augustus... It is well known that ancient Greeks not only tolerated homosexuality, but even encouraged it (especially between an older and a younger man). In Sparta homosexuality was even compulsory, because it reinforces ties between warriors during battles ! (on the basis that someone would fight harder to protect their friends if they had intimate relationships with them). I suppose that it was also why most famous Greco-Roman generals or military leaders were gay or bisexual, so as to be closer to their men.
We hear much less of homosexuality for women in the Greco-Roman world. On the contrary, in the contemporary developed world bisexuality is much more common for women that men (surveys have shown that up to 1/3 of women could have homo-/bisexual tendencies, against only 5% for men). In any case I am almost certain that compulsory bisexuality for men would never been accepted by any modern population (at least in the Western world). I believe that this discrepency between ancient Europe and the modern Western world is due to the very different lifestyle of these periods.
In the ancient world, life was much harsher and tougher than today. There were no motorised transports, no mass produced food, less confortable furniture and clothes, etc. There were more wars and slavery was seen as part and parcel of human society. Slavery was not even the more civilised form practised by Europeans in the Americas, but a pre-Christianity form where slaves were relegated to such a low status that their owners could kill them on a whim, without causing the least public consternation. All we can say is that life was utterly different in ancient Greece and Rome as it is now. Their lifestyle showed much stronger masculine attributes than ours : harshness, toughness, violence, lack of compassion...
In the Greco-Roman society, men had little opportunity to express their feminine side - and let us not forget that all men are half women genetically, carrying an X chromosome. War was much more common for ordinary people than it is today. It was almost part of everyday life. All free Spartans (as opposed to slaves) received a military training and were constantly ready to defend their city or attack others. A high percentage or Roman men were also soldiers. In this tough world, young men appaeared as rather feminine to older men hardened by wars. Likewise teenage boys looked up to their elders as very manly and dominant figures. Homosexuality not only reinforced ties, it also allowed men living with men to express their feminine side.
Nowadays, we (Westerners) live in an increasingly feminine world; a world of communication, avoidance of bloody wars, condemnation of violence, comfort, where artists are more popular than soldiers, where countries increasingly opt for no military service or conscription, where men take partnela leaves to take care of their babies... In this feminised world, men feel the urge to display more virility; they do bodybuilding, they practise violent sports, play violent video games or urge to become powerful business people, all in order to satisfy their male instincts.
Women are left with too much femininity and too many opportunities to display it, with a bigger abundance in clothes, cosmetics or sexual freedom than ever before. In result to this, some women feel like they are becoming too feminine, and by association too weak or dominated by men. This realisation led to the feminist movement, where women strives to behave like men : get men's job, dress like men, and even join the army. This may be why some once overfeminine women meet masculinised women, they feel like their mindset is far apart enough to be in a heterosexual relationship. The latter one then takes the role of the man, in the same way as the innocent or feminised teenage boy of the Antiquity was seen as a substitute for a woman by older, toughened men.
It is thus society, in my opinion, that shapes the sexual tendecies of its people, depending on how feminine or masculine its attributes are. It is also why male bi/homosexuality was better accepted in ancient Greece and Rome, while female bi/homosexuality is better accepted nowadays.
We hear much less of homosexuality for women in the Greco-Roman world. On the contrary, in the contemporary developed world bisexuality is much more common for women that men (surveys have shown that up to 1/3 of women could have homo-/bisexual tendencies, against only 5% for men). In any case I am almost certain that compulsory bisexuality for men would never been accepted by any modern population (at least in the Western world). I believe that this discrepency between ancient Europe and the modern Western world is due to the very different lifestyle of these periods.
In the ancient world, life was much harsher and tougher than today. There were no motorised transports, no mass produced food, less confortable furniture and clothes, etc. There were more wars and slavery was seen as part and parcel of human society. Slavery was not even the more civilised form practised by Europeans in the Americas, but a pre-Christianity form where slaves were relegated to such a low status that their owners could kill them on a whim, without causing the least public consternation. All we can say is that life was utterly different in ancient Greece and Rome as it is now. Their lifestyle showed much stronger masculine attributes than ours : harshness, toughness, violence, lack of compassion...
In the Greco-Roman society, men had little opportunity to express their feminine side - and let us not forget that all men are half women genetically, carrying an X chromosome. War was much more common for ordinary people than it is today. It was almost part of everyday life. All free Spartans (as opposed to slaves) received a military training and were constantly ready to defend their city or attack others. A high percentage or Roman men were also soldiers. In this tough world, young men appaeared as rather feminine to older men hardened by wars. Likewise teenage boys looked up to their elders as very manly and dominant figures. Homosexuality not only reinforced ties, it also allowed men living with men to express their feminine side.
Nowadays, we (Westerners) live in an increasingly feminine world; a world of communication, avoidance of bloody wars, condemnation of violence, comfort, where artists are more popular than soldiers, where countries increasingly opt for no military service or conscription, where men take partnela leaves to take care of their babies... In this feminised world, men feel the urge to display more virility; they do bodybuilding, they practise violent sports, play violent video games or urge to become powerful business people, all in order to satisfy their male instincts.
Women are left with too much femininity and too many opportunities to display it, with a bigger abundance in clothes, cosmetics or sexual freedom than ever before. In result to this, some women feel like they are becoming too feminine, and by association too weak or dominated by men. This realisation led to the feminist movement, where women strives to behave like men : get men's job, dress like men, and even join the army. This may be why some once overfeminine women meet masculinised women, they feel like their mindset is far apart enough to be in a heterosexual relationship. The latter one then takes the role of the man, in the same way as the innocent or feminised teenage boy of the Antiquity was seen as a substitute for a woman by older, toughened men.
It is thus society, in my opinion, that shapes the sexual tendecies of its people, depending on how feminine or masculine its attributes are. It is also why male bi/homosexuality was better accepted in ancient Greece and Rome, while female bi/homosexuality is better accepted nowadays.