Love, sex, and marriage in ancient Greece are portrayed in Greek literature as distinct, yet closely intertwined, elements of life. For many upper-class men, marriages did not take place for love, and other relationships, be it with men or other women, took on this role. Due to this, a lot of the literature discussing love is about the relationships men had outside marriage, often pederastic relationships. For women, marriage was a social and financial decision made by their father and, particularly in classical Athens, women were expected to stay indoors so as to avoid any accusations of infidelity.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1713/love-sex--marriage-in-ancient-greece/.
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- Why do you think marriage meant different things for men and women in ancient Greece?
- Which Greek wedding custom seems most meaningful to you, and why?
- Do you think love was more important than marriage in ancient Greece?
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