A PEDERASTIA EM ATENAS NO PERÍODO CLÁSSICO: RELENDO AS OBRAS DE PLATÃO E ARISTÓFANES

Abstract

The pederasty in Athens throughout the classical period is comprehensively approached in the academic environment, however it still remains a misinterpreted matter, where the future eupatridae s educational character and social formation do not receive enough attention. The main purpose of this research is the analysis of the pederasty practiced in Athens during the fifth and at the beginning of the fourth century B.C. To do so we have been studying as sources the Plato s dialogues Lysis, the Symposium and Phaedrus, and the comedy the Clouds by Aristophanes, in order to compare the way the relationship between the erastes and eromenos figured on this period. In this paper we use the concepts of imaginary and identities, which have been widely discussed by historiography since the last two decades of the twentieth century, taking part in this discussion and applying it in our studies. Beyond showing the importance of the pederastic relationships for the formation of the future Athens citizen, we emphasize the main characteristics of the pederasty in Athens based on the readings of Plato and Aristophanes.