Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Recovering Ex-hippie

I'm a history channel addict. They recently did a special series on Alexander the Great, they never mentioned any bisexuality, they did however say that his father was. According to the History channel Alexander's father was stabbed to death by a piised off male concubine.


7 posted on 11/20/2004 7:48:58 PM PST by Brainhose (THINK OF THE KITTENS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]


To: Brainhose; Texas Eagle

From what I've been able to gather, none of the contemporary sources said that Alexander had homosexual relations with either his life-long friend Hephaestion or the eunuch Bagos. It was later sources that claimed that such relations took place.

Dr Lane Fox of Oxford, who is one of the leading authorities on Alexander, claims that he was bisexual, but only after admitting that no contemporary evidence says so.

So despite what the gay community may say, there is no way of knowing for sure. And even if he were bisexual, that does not really mean anything with regards to present-day concepts of sexuality. Our concept of homosexuality as a lifestyle had no equivalent in the ancient world. To them it was clearly a choice, was mostly confined to the elites, and was often about power (i.e. to be the active participant was okay, but to be the passive one was shameful). So to hold up Alexander as a hero of modern-day alternative lifestyles is not appropriate.

But Alexander did marry three times.


16 posted on 11/24/2004 6:24:05 PM PST by Aetius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson