Gymnasium (ancient Greece): Difference between revisions

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The '''gymnasium''' in [[Ancient Greece]] functioned as a training facility for male competitors in public [[game]]s. It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Ancient Greek term ''[[wikt:γυμνός#Ancient Greek|gymnós]]'' meaning "[[Nudity|naked]]". Athletes competed nude, a practice said to encourage aesthetic appreciation of the male body, and to be a tribute to the gods. Gymnasia and [[palaestra|palestrae]] (wrestling schools) were under the protection and patronage of [[Heracles]], [[Hermes]] and, in Athens, [[Theseus]].<ref>Pausanias (geographer), ''Guide to Greece,'' 4.32.1</ref>
The '''gymnasium''' in [[Ancient Greece]] functioned as a training facility for male competitors in public [[game]]s. It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Ancient Greek term ''[[wikt:γυμνός#Ancient Greek|gymnós]]'' meaning "[[Nudity|naked]]". Athletes competed nude, a practice said to encourage aesthetic appreciation of the male body, and to be a tribute to the gods. Gymnasia and [[palaestra|palestrae]] (wrestling schools) were under the protection and patronage of [[Heracles]], [[Hermes]] and, in Athens, [[Theseus]].<ref>Pausanias (geographer), ''Guide to Greece,'' 4.32.1</ref>


Many relationships between Greek "boylovers" and their beloved's were either begun, or fostered by, contacts between adult males and [[peri-pubescent]] or [[puberty|pubescent]] youths meeting at the gymnasiums.
Many relationships between Greek "boylovers" and their beloveds were either begun, or fostered by, contacts between adult males and [[peri-pubescent]] or [[puberty|pubescent]] youths meeting at the gymnasiums.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Ancient Greece]]

Revision as of 01:21, 10 May 2015

The gymnasium in Ancient Greece functioned as a training facility for male competitors in public games. It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Ancient Greek term gymnós meaning "naked". Athletes competed nude, a practice said to encourage aesthetic appreciation of the male body, and to be a tribute to the gods. Gymnasia and palestrae (wrestling schools) were under the protection and patronage of Heracles, Hermes and, in Athens, Theseus.[1]

Many relationships between Greek "boylovers" and their beloveds were either begun, or fostered by, contacts between adult males and peri-pubescent or pubescent youths meeting at the gymnasiums.

References

  1. Pausanias (geographer), Guide to Greece, 4.32.1