Sexual Culture in Anicent Greece

(book cover)A chronological series of chapters on significant developments in the history of a culture whose views of eros were drawn in a kind of tug-of-war between appreciation and apprehension.

Chapter 1. Sexual Religion: The Roots of Sexual Culture
Chapter 2. Coming of Age in the Ancient Near East: Two Sexual Myths of Cultural Initiation
Chapter 3. Hellenizing Greece: The Revision of Bronze Age Mythology
Chapter 4. Greek Patriarchy: The Severe Style
Chapter 5. Education of the Senses from Solon to Pericles
Chapter 6. Idealizing Love: Plato, Sex, and Philosophy
Chapter 7. Sexual Beauty: The Nude in Greek Art
Chapter 8. Erotic Friendship: Romantic Fictions
Chapter 9. Anerotic Religion: Greek Themes in Early Christianity

"Rigorously argued...Two elements in particular significantly help the nonspecialist reader. The first is the provision of numerous illustrations...Garrison's second great strength is his extensive range of quotation from exuberant classical Greek authors to censorious Church Fathers. Will delight all readers willing to analyze the inescapable force that drives, satisfies, and torments their lives."   
--Peter Skinner, ForeWord

"Sexual Culture In Ancient Greece adds to the university's series in classical culture, but stands well alone as a college-level survey of early religious and sexual culture in ancient Greece. Art from the earliest periods accompanies a discussion of nine successive stages of Greek sexual culture, using passages from Biblical, Near Eastern and Greek literature to trace ideas of sexual culture in regional civilizations. The only comprehensive survey of Greek sexual culture."
-- Midwest Book Review