The Routledge Companion to the Reception of Ancient Greek and Roman Gender and Sexuality

635 Pages·2022·19.575 MB·English

by  K.R. Moore

The Routledge Companion
to the Reception of Ancient
Greek and Roman Gender
and Sexuality
This Companion covers a range of receptions of ancient Greek and Roman gender and
­sexuality.­It­explores­ancient­representations­of­these­concepts­as­we­define­them­today,­as­
well as recent perspectives that have been projected back onto antiquity.
Beginning­in­antiquity,­the­chapters­examine­how­the­ancient­Greeks­and­Romans­regarded­
concepts of what we would today call “gender” and “sexuality” based on the evidence available
to­us,­and­chart­the­varied­interpretations­and­receptions­of­these­concepts­across­time­to­
the­present­day.­In­exploring­how­different­cultures­have­“received”­the­classical­past,­the­
­volume­investigates­these­cultures’­different­interpretations­of­Greek­and­Roman­sexualities,­
and what these interpretations can reveal about their own attitudes. Through the contributions
in­this­book,­the­reader­gains­a­deeper­understanding­of­this­essential­part­of­human­existence,­
derived­from­influential­sources.­From­ancient­to­modern­and­postmodern­perspectives,­from­
cinematic­productions­to­TikTok­videos,­receptions­of­ancient­gender­and­sexuality­abound.
This­volume­is­of­interest­to­students­and­scholars­of­ancient­history,­gender­and­sexuality­
in­the­ancient­world,­and­ancient­societies,­as­well­as­those­working­on­popular­culture­and­
gender studies more broadly.
Dr. K.R. Moore,­PhD­(St-A)­is­currently­a­senior­lecturer­in­the­history­of­ideas­at­Teesside­
University,­UK;­his­publications­include­“The­Iphis­Incident:­Ovid’s­Accidental­Discovery­of­
Gender­Dysphoria”­and­Sex and the Second-Best City: Sex and Society in the Laws of Plato
(Routledge­2005).

The Routledge Companion
to the Reception of Ancient
Greek and Roman Gender
and Sexuality
Edited by K.R. Moore
Cover­image:­Adam­Eastland/Alamy­Stock­Photo
First­published­2023
by Routledge
4­Park­Square,­Milton­Park,­Abingdon,­Oxon­OX14­4RN
and by Routledge
605­Third­Avenue,­New­York,­NY­10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
©­2023­selection­and­editorial­matter,­K.R.­Moore;­individual­chapters,­the­
contributors
The­right­of­K.R.­Moore­to­be­identified­as­the­author­of­the­editorial­material,­and­
of­the­authors­for­their­individual­chapters,­has­been­asserted­in­accordance­with­
sections­77­and­78­of­the­Copyright,­Designs­and­Patents­Act­1988.
All­rights­reserved.­No­part­of­this­book­may­be­reprinted­or­reproduced­or­utilised­in­
any­form­or­by­any­electronic,­mechanical,­or­other­means,­now­known­or­hereafter­
invented,­including­photocopying­and­recording,­or­in­any­information­storage­or­
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trademarks,­and­are­used­only­for­identification­and­explanation­without­intent­to­infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A­catalogue­record­for­this­book­is­available­from­the­British­Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names:­Moore,­K.­R.­(Kenneth­R.)­editor.­
Title:­The­Routledge­companion­to­the­reception­of­ancient­Greek­and­Roman­
­ gender­and­sexuality­/­edited­by­K.­R.­Moore.­
Description:­1­Edition.­|­New­York,­NY­:­Routledge,­2023.­|­Includes­
­ bibliographical­references­and­index.­|­Summary:­“This­Companion­covers­
a range of receptions of ancient Greek and Roman gender and sexuality.
­ It­explores­ancient­representations­of­these­concepts­as­we­define­them­
­ today,­as­well­as­recent­perspectives­that­have­been­projected­back­onto­
­ antiquity.­Beginning­in­antiquity,­the­chapters­examine­how­the­ancient­
Greeks and Romans regarded concepts of what we would today call “gender”
­ and­“sexuality”­based­on­the­evidence­available­to­us,­and­chart­the­
varied interpretations and receptions of these concepts across time to
­ the­present­day.­In­exploring­how­different­cultures­have­‘received’­the­
­ classical­past,­the­volume­investigates­these­cultures’­different­
­ interpretations­of­Greek­and­Roman­sexualities,­and­what­these­
interpretations can reveal about their own attitudes. Through the
­ contributions­in­this­book,­the­reader­gains­a­deeper­understanding­of­
­ this­essential­part­of­human­existence,­derived­from­influential­
­ sources.­From­ancient­to­modern­and­postmodern­perspectives,­from­
­ cinematic­productions­to­TikTok­videos,­receptions­of­ancient­gender­and­
sexuality abound. This volume is of interest to students and scholars of
­ ancient­history,­gender­and­sexuality­in­the­ancient­world,­and­ancient­
­ societies,­as­well­as­those­working­on­popular­culture­and­gender­
­ studies­more­broadly”—­Provided­by­publisher.­
Identifiers:­LCCN­2022005663­(print)­|­LCCN­2022005664­(ebook)­|­
­ ISBN­9780367900908­(hardback)­|­ISBN­9781032307022­(paperback)­|­
­ ISBN­9781003024378­(ebook)­
Subjects:­LCSH:­Gender­identity—Greece.­|­Gender­identity—Rome.­|­
­ Sex—Greece.­|­Sex—Rome.­|­Rome—Civilization.­|­CYAC:­
­ Greece—Civilization—To­146­B.C.­
Classification:­LCC­HQ1075.5.G8­.R68­2023­(print)­|­LCC­HQ1075.5.G8­
­ (ebook)­|­DDC­305.3—dc23/eng/20220321­
LC­record­available­at­https://lccn.loc.gov/2022005663
LC­ebook­record­available­at­https://lccn.loc.gov/2022005664
ISBN:­978-0-367-90090-8­(hbk)
ISBN:­978-1-032-30702-2­(pbk)
ISBN:­978-1-003-02437-8­(ebk)
DOI:­10.4324/9781003024378
Typeset­in­Times­New­Roman
by­Apex­CoVantage,­LLC
Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Contributors xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction xviii
PART I
Legacies of the Ancient Greeks 1
­1­ “Never­Bury­My­Bones­Apart­From­Yours”:­Iliad Reception in
Xena: Warrior Princess­3
Sarah Brucia Breitenfeld
­2­ Achilles­and­Patroclus­Revisited­(Again)­ 22
David Delbar
­3­ #Patrochilles:­Find­the­Phallus­ 41
Bruce M. King and Lynn Kozak
­4­ Of­Late­I­Dream­of­Lesbos:­Renée­Vivien’s­Queer­Utopias­in­the­
Aeolian­Mode­ 58
J. L. Watson
­5­ A­‘Hollywood-Bowl­Tiresias’:­Antiquity­and­Trans-­Identity­in­Gore­
Vidal’s­Myra Breckinridge and Myron­ 84
Quentin J. Broughall
­6­ Panic­in­the­Oikos:­Female­Bodies,­[re]Productive­Anxiety­and­
Wasted­Landscapes­in­Greek­Myth­and­Dystopian­SF­ 102
Larissa Tittl
7 “Je Sentis Tout Mon Corps et Transir et Brûler”:­Sublimating­
Ancient­Sexuality­in­Jean­Racine’s­Phèdre et Hippolyte­ 129
Mary Hamil Gilbert
v
Contents
­8­ On­the­Reception­of­Same-Sex­Marriage­in­Classical­Greece­
and­Beyond­ 150
K.R. Moore
­9­ Ancient­and­Modern­Receptions­of­Eunuchs­With­a­Focus­on­
Alexander’s­Bagoas­ 175
Andrew Michael Chugg
10­ The­Sexuality­of­the­Argeads­ 212
Sabine Müller
11­ Alexander­the­Great­and­Hephaistion­in­Fiction­After­Stonewall­ 229
Jeanne Reames
12­ Patterns­of­Force:­Receptions­of­Agesilaus­II,­Disability,­and­Greek­
Sexuality­ 253
Alexandra F. Morris
13­ A­Revised­Interpretation­of­the­Ancient­Greek­Hetaira­ 263
Stephanie Lynn Budin
14­ Those Infamous Females:­The­(Ancient)­Reception­of­the­Sexuality­
of­Hellenistic­Queens­ 286
Alex McAuley and Ana Garcia Espinosa
15­ Dover,­Foucault­and­the­Rules­of­South­African­Mine­Marriages­ 300
Susan L. Haskins
PART II
Romanocentric Receptions 315
16­ Two­Case­Studies­on­Receptions­of­Sex­and­Power:­Lucretia­
and­Verginia­ 317
Paul Chrystal
17­ Seduction­Skills­of­Queen­Cleopatra­and­Definitions­of­Masculinity­
in­the­Roman­Literature­ 357
Jaakkojuhani Peltonen
18­ Women’s­Virgil:­Reception­as­Re-imagination­ 373
Charlie Kerrigan
vi
Contents
19­ The­Poet,­the­Puella,­and­the­Penis:­Impotence­and­Elegiac­Failure­
in­Maximianus­and­Ovid­ 387
Grace Funsten
20­ Boudica­as­a­Literary­Figure­in­Cassius­Dio­ 404
Heiko Kammers
21­ The­Influence­of­Roman­Laws­on­Same-Sex­Acts­on­Twenty-First-
Century­Homophobia­in­Africa­ 421
Susan L. Haskins
22­ Roman­Gender­in­the­Roman de Silence­ 441
Sasha (Alexandra) Katharine Kelly
PART III
Greek and Roman Afterlives 457
23­ Perfumes­for­Men,­Perfumes­for­Women:­The­Uses­of­Scents­and­the­
Prejudice­of­Corruption­in­the­Graeco-Roman­World­ 459
Giuseppe Squillace
24­ “Thirteen­Days­Were­Devoted­to­Serving­Her­Passion”:­Amazon­
Queen­Thalestris­as­a­Sexual­Male­Fantasy­in­Roman­Historiography­
and­Medieval­Epic­ 473
Jaakkojuhani Peltonen
25­ The­Reception­of­Classical­Masculinity­in­Women’s­Historical­Novels­ 489
Leanne Bibby
26­ The­Sexuality­of­the­“Tyrant”­in­Greek­and­Latin­Literature­and­in­
The Walking Dead­ 508
Sabine Müller
27­ Graeco-Roman­Worship­of­the­Beloved:­The­Ancient­and­Modern­
Cults­of­Antinous­ 525
Andrew Michael Chugg
28­ Transgender­Saints:­Perpetua’s­Legacy­ 558
Barbara Gold
vii
Contents
29­ A­Prehistory­of­Intersex,­or:­The­Lives­and­Afterlives­of­the­
“Hermaphrodite”­ 572
Chris Mowat
30­ Female­Agency­in­Greek­Tragedy­and­Its­Receptions­in­the­Late­
Twentieth­and­Early­Twenty-First­Centuries­ 593
Lorna Hardwick
Index 607
viii
Figures
­ 6.1­ ‘Earthrise’.­ 105
­ 6.2­ ‘Birth­of­Erichthonios’.­Gaia­emerges­from­the­ground,­presenting­
Erichthonios­to­Athena.­Red-figured­hydria,­c.470–460­bce.­ 107
­ 6.3­ The­LA­of­Blade Runner­(Final Cut).­An­alluring­woman­beckons­citizens­
to­the­off-world­colonies.­ 108
­ 6.4­ Joi­as­a­gigantic­holograph,­interacting­with­K­in­the­city,­in­Blade
Runner 2049.­ 109
­ 6.5­ ‘I­don’t­want­oranges.­I­want­to­scream’.­Offred/June­in­Gilead’s­produce­
shop­in­S1,­E6­of­The Handmaid’s Tale.­ 111
­ 6.6­ Red-figure,­white-ground­Attic­kylix,­attributed­to­the­Tarquinia­Painter.­
The­making­of­Pandora.­ 115
­ 6.7­ Rachel,­a­stunningly­impassive­(at­first)­replicant­in­Blade Runner­(Final Cut).­ 115
­ 6.8­ Red-figured­calyx-krater­by­the­Niobid­Painter.­Scene­shows­Pandora­
(resembling­a­statue)­being­dressed­in­finery­by­the­Olympians.­ 117
­ 6.9­ The­replicant­Pris­disguised­as­a­veil-wearing­doll­in­J.­F.­Sebastian’s­
apartment,­hiding­from­Deckard.­ 118
­ 6.10­ Fresco­from­Royal­Tomb­at­Vergina­(Tomb­1).­Scene­shows­the­abduction­
of­Persephone­by­Hades,­her­distress­clearly­visible.­Her­friend­Cyrene­
laments­in­the­background.­ 122
­ 9.1a­ A­seal­from­Uruk­dating­from­the­third­millennium­bce with an overseer
and­naked­and­genderless­individuals.­ 176
­ 9.1b­ A­seal­from­Uruk­dating­from­the­third­millennium­bce­with­a­woman,­
domestic­animals­and­two­naked­and­genderless­individuals.­ 176
­ 9.2­ A­fragment­of­the­rear­of­the­Ur-Nammu­stela­dating­to­c.2100­bce and
depicting a nude male lacking either a beard or genitals with a towel and
fly-whisk(?).­ 177
­ 9.3­ A­profile­portrait­of­Alexander­the­Great­wearing­the­ram’s­horns­of­
Ammon­and­the­royal­diadem­on­a­silver­tetradrachm­minted­298–281­bce
by­his­bodyguard­and­successor­Lysimachos.­ 181
­ 9.4­ A­relief­depicting­a­beardless­servant,­almost­certainly­a­eunuch,­from­the­
Persian­palace­at­Persepolis.­ 184
­ 9.5­ An­engraving­of­Sodoma’s­fresco­in­the­Villa­Farnesina­in­Rome­based­on­
Lucian’s­description­of­Aetion’s­painting­of­Alexander’s­marriage­to­Roxane.­ 188
­ 9.6­ Statue­of­Poppaea,­whom­Sporus­is­stated­to­have­resembled.­ 203
ix