The Tomb of Hyacinthos: Pausanias, Desc. Graec. 3.19

τοῦ δὲ ἀγάλματος τὸ βάθρον παρέχεται μὲν βωμοῦ σχῆμα, τεθάφθαι δὲ τὸν Ὑάκινθον λέγουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ Ὑακινθίοις πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος θυσίας ἐς τοῦτον Ὑακίνθῳ τὸν βωμὸν διὰ θύρας χαλκῆς ἐναγίζουσιν: ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δέ ἐστιν ἡ θύρα τοῦ βωμοῦ. ἐπείργασται δὲ τῷ βωμῷ τοῦτο μὲν ἄγαλμα Βίριδος, τοῦτο δὲ Ἀμφιτρίτης καὶ Ποσειδῶνος: Διὸς δὲ καὶ Ἑρμοῦ διαλεγομένων ἀλλήλοις πλησίον Διόνυσος ἑστήκασι καὶ Σεμέλη, παρὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Ἰνώ. πεποίηται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ ἡ Δημήτηρ καὶ Κόρη καὶ Πλούτων, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς Μοῖραί τε καὶ Ὧραι, σὺν δέ σφισιν Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ τε καὶ Ἄρτεμις: κομίζουσι δ᾽ ἐς οὐρανὸν Ὑάκινθον καὶ Πολύβοιαν, Ὑακίνθου καθὰ λέγουσιν ἀδελφὴν ἀποθανοῦσαν ἔτι παρθένον. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τοῦ Ὑακίνθου τὸ ἄγαλμα ἔχον ἐστὶν ἤδη γένεια, Νικίας δὲ ὁ Νικομήδους περισσῶς δή τι ἔγραψεν αὐτὸν ὡραῖον, τὸν ἐπὶ Ὑακίνθῳ λεγόμενον Ἀπόλλωνος ἔρωτα ὑποσημαίνων.  πεποίηται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς ὑπὸ Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ θεῶν τῶν ἄλλων καὶ οὗτος ἀγόμενος ἐς οὐρανόν. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ αἱ Θεστίου θυγατέρες ἐπὶ τῷ βωμῷ, καὶ Μοῦσαί τε καὶ Ὧραι. περὶ δὲ ἀνέμου Ζεφύρου, καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος Ὑάκινθος ἀπέθανεν ἄκοντος, καὶ τὰ ἐς τὸ ἄνθος εἰρημένα τάχα μὲν ἂν ἔχοι καὶ ἄλλως, δοκείτω δὲ ᾗ λέγεται. 

Simulacri basis arae formam habet. in ea Hyacinthum sepultum tradunt. & in Hyacinthiorum celebritate, prius quam sacrum Apollini faciant, in aram istam per aeneum ostiolum, quod in arae laeva parte est, inferias Hyacintho mittunt. In ara illa insculpta sunt, hic Biridis, illic Amphitrites & Neptuni signa: tum vero Iupiter & Mercurius inter se colloquentes. Prope adsistunt Liber pater, & Semele: hui proxima Ino. Sunt in eadem sivi basi, sive ara, Ceres, Proserpina, Pluto: una cum his Parcae & Horae; & illis adiunctae Venus, Minerva, Diana: in caelum autem hae tollunt Hyacinthum & sororem eius Polyboean, quam e vita virginem decessisse narrant. Atque illud quidem Hyacinthi signum cum barbula est. Nicomedensis Nicias eximia illum forma fuisse scriptum reliquit, quum de APollinis in illum amore quiddam innueret. In ea ipsa ara Herculem quoque Minerva & ceteri Di in caelum deducunt. Ibidem & Thestii filiae sunt, Musae & Horae. De Zephyro vero, & quemadmodum ab Apolline fit Hyacinthus imprudenter peremptus, de flore item, longe se fortasse aliter quam uti exponitur res habet: perinde vero fuisse censeatur, ac vulgatum est.

--Pausanias, Descriptio Graecae 3.19; Translated into Latin by Romulus Amasaeus (1696)

 

The base of the shrine has the shape of an altar. Hyacinthus’ remains are supposedly inside it, and before they offer sacrifices to Apollo, they provide funerary offerings to Hyacinthus through a bronze trap door on the left side of the altar. The altar has carved images of Biris, Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite; Zeus and Hermes are also there, talking amongst themselves. Dionysus is next to them, along with his mother Semele, and Ino is with them, too. The shrine also has Demeter, Persephone, and Hades, along with the Fates and the Hours; Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis are with them. They carry Hyacinthus and his sister Polyboea (who died a maiden) with them into heaven. Hyacinthus is depicted wearing a beard, but Nicias of Nicomedes portrayed him at the peak of his youthful beauty, nodding to Apollo’s love for him. On this same altar, they depict Athena and the other gods also bringing Hercules up into heaven. The daughters of Thestius [Leda] are also there, along with the Muses and the Hours. But regarding Zephyrus, the story of how Apollo accidentally killed Hyacinthus, and his transformation into a flower, is a story for another time.

 

PAUSANIAS	MAP:
Name:  Pausanias Date:  110 – 180 CE Works:  Description of Greece	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Pausanias was a Greek writer who lived during the era of the “Five Good Emperors.” His work, the Description of Greece, is an important source for geographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information about ancient Greece.	ROMAN GREEK

Arethusa, an ace nymph; Pausanias, Desc. Graec. 5.7.2

 Content Warning: sexual assault

de quo vulgata est fabula, virum illum [Alphaeum] fuisse venatorem, Arethusam amasse, & ipsam venandi studiosam. Quae quum illius nuptias recusasset, in insulam, cui Ortygiae nomen fuit, prope Syracusas, dicitur transmisse, atque ibi in fontem conversam: ipsi etiam Alpheo accidisse, ut prae amore in amnem mutaretur.

λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τοιάδε ἐς τὸν Ἀλφειόν, ὡς ἀνὴρ εἴη θηρευτής, ἐρασθῆναι δὲ αὐτὸν Ἀρεθούσης, κυνηγετεῖν δὲ καὶ ταύτην. καὶ Ἀρέθουσαν μὲν οὐκ ἀρεσκομένην γήμασθαι περαιωθῆναί φασιν ἐς νῆσον τὴν κατὰ Συρακούσας, καλουμένην δὲ Ὀρτυγίαν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐξ ἀνθρώπου γενέσθαι πηγήν: συμβῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος καὶ Ἀλφειῷ τὴν ἀλλαγὴν ἐς τὸν ποταμόν.

 

--Pausanias, Descriptio Graecae 5.7.2; Translated into Latin by Romulus Amasaeus (1696)

It is said that Alphaeus was a hunter who loved Arethusa (who also was a hunter). Since Arethusa rejected the idea of marriage, she fled to the island next to Syracuse called Ortygia, and transformed into a spring. Alphaeus did the same thing: he transformed himself into a river out of love for her.

 

PAUSANIAS	MAP:
Name:  Pausanias Date:  110 – 180 CE Works:  Description of Greece	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Pausanias was a Greek writer who lived during the era of the “Five Good Emperors.” His work, the Description of Greece, is an important source for geographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information about ancient Greece.	ROMAN GREEK

 

Trans Ally and Momma Bear, Callimachus, Greek Anthology 7.728

Trans Ally and Momma Bear

Name: Callimachus Date:    305 – 240 BCE Region:   Cyrene [modern Libya] Citation:    Greek Anthology 7.728

The following is an epitaph of a priestess who served many goddesses throughout her life, including Cybele. As a priestess of Cybele, she was a protector and mentor of the goddess’ galli worshippers.

I was once the sacred priestess of Demeter, then the Cabeiri,

O traveler, and then I served Cybele.

I was a momma bear for many young ladies. 

Then I became an old woman, and now I’m ashes; 

And the locks of golden hair that used to adorn my shoulders.

I had two sons, and I closed my eyes a final time in their arms. 

Go on your merry way.  

Ἱερέη Δήμητρος ἐγώ ποτε, καὶ πάλιν Καβείρων, ὦνερ, καὶ μετέπειτα Δινδυμήνης, ἡ γρηῢς γενόμην, ἡ νῦν κόνις, ἡνο ... πολλῶν προστασίη νέων γυναικῶν. καί μοι τέκν᾽ ἐγένοντο δύ᾽ ἄρσενα, κἠπέμυς᾽ ἐκείνων εὐγήρως ἐνὶ χερσίν. ἕρπε χαίρων.

Virgo sacerdos Cereris ego olim, et rursus Cabirorum, o homo, et deinde Dindymenae, anus fui, quae nunc sum cinis [a diis nacta] multarum patrocinium iuvenum mulierum. Et mihi pueri fuerunt duo mares, et oculos clausi illorum grandaeva in manibus. Repta gaudens. Translated into Latin by  Hugo Grotius

Callimachus [310 – 240 BCE, modern Libya] is often regarded as one of the best Alexandrian [Greek] poets. Born in raised in Cyrene, Libya, he spent a majority of his career at the famous Library of Alexandria, where he used the resources there to create refined, artful poetry. Although much of his poetry is lost, the extant fragments of his works are a testament to both his talent as an artist and his erudition as a scholar.

RIP: Too Young to be a Bride: Greek Anthology 7.604

There is a special spot of sadness in Greek and Roman literature for girls who died unmarried, as every woman was expected to marry and provide their husbands with legitimate offspring (with very few exceptions). Notice that more attention is placed on this young girl's wedding in this poem than her own death.

 

λέκτρα σοι ἀντὶ γάμων ἐπιτύμβια, παρθένε κούρη,

ἐστόρεσαν παλάμαις πενθαλέαις γενέται.

καὶ σὺ μὲν ἀμπλακίας βιότου καὶ μόχθον Ἐλευθοῦς

ἔκφυγες: οἱ δὲ γόων πικρὸν ἔχουσι νέφος.

δωδεκέτιν γὰρ μοῖρα, Μακηδονίη, σε καλύπτει,

κάλλεσιν ὁπλοτέρην, ἤθεσι γηραλέην.

 

Lectum tibi pro nuptiis sepulcralem, o virgo puella,

straverunt palmis luctuosis parentes.

Et tu quidem errores vitae et laborem Ilithyiae

effugisti: illi autem luctuum amaram habent nubem.

Duodecennem enim fatum, o Macedonia, te sepelit,

veneribus iuvenem, moribus grandaevam.

--Paulus Silentiarius, Greek Anthology 7.604; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

O young lady, your funeral is being prepared,

Not your wedding.

Instead of a bridal bouquet, you get a funeral wreath.

You will miss the hardships of life and the pain of childbirth;

Your survivors have a bitter veil of grief.

Macedonia, the Fates have buried you at twelve years old,

At the peak of beauty, but with old school customs.

 

Paulus Silentiarius	MAP:
Name:  Paulus Silentiarius Date:  6th century CE Works:  [poetry]	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Paulus Silentiarius was a bureaucrat in the court of the Roman Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople. Dozens of his poems are preserved in the Greek Anthology.	BYZANTINE / LATE GREEK

Gendered Curses: Aulus Gellius, Att. Noct. 11.6

Quod mulieres Romae per Herculem non iuraverint neque viri per Castorem.

In veteribus scriptis neque mulieres Romanae per Herculem deiurant neque viri per Castorem.  Sed cur illae non iuraverint Herculem non obscurum est, nam Herculaneo sacrificio abstinent. Cur autem viri Castorem iurantes non appellaverint non facile dictu est. Nusquam igitur scriptum invenire est, apud idoneos quidem scriptores, aut “me hercle” feminam dicere aut “me castor” virum;“edepol” autem, quod iusiurandum per Pollucem est, et viro et feminae commune est. Sed M. Varro adseverat antiquissimos viros neque per Castorem neque per Pollucem deiurare solitos, sed id iusiurandum fuisse tantum feminarum, ex initiis Eleusinis acceptum; paulatim tamen inscitia antiquitatis viros dicere “edepol” coepisse factumque esse ita dicendi morem, sed “me castor” a viro dici in nullo vetere scripto inveniri.

 

--Aulus Gellius, Noct. Att. 11.6

 

That Roman Women Never Swear to Hercules, and that Roman Men Never Swear to Castor*

In ancient texts, Roman women never swear to Hercules, and Roman men never swear to Castor. It’s not surprising that women never swear to Hercules, for they are forbidden to sacrifice to him. It’s not as easy to figure out why men do not swear to Castor. But it’s found nowhere in literature where a woman says “By Hercules!” or a man says, “By Castor!”  “Edepol” (swearing by Pollux’s name) is common among men and women. But M. Varro asserts that ancient men used to use neither Castor nor Pollux’s name in vain, but that it was just used by women (and used in the Eleusinian mysteries). Over time, that gender role was forgotten, and men began to say edepol, and so the custom changed. But “By Castor!” is still never found said by a man in any ancient text.

* Castor and Pollux / Polydeuces were twin demigod sons of Zeus and Leda, and siblings of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. They are memorialized in the Zodiac constellation Gemini

AULUS GELLIUS	MAP:
Name:  Aulus Gellius Date:  2nd. c. CE Works:  Attic Nights	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
Aulus Gellius lived during the 2nd century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes about literature, history, and grammar.  From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus and Fronto.	SILVER AGE LATIN

 

 

M/M: Two Poems on the Myth of Hyacinthus: Anthologia Latina 167-168

Discrimen vitae, ludit dum forte, Hyacinthus

Incurrit, disco tempora fissa gerens.

Non potuit Phoebus fato subducere amatum,

Sed cruor extincti florea rura replet.

--167

Dispersit remeans ludentis tempora discus

Et dira pulcher morte Hyacinthus obit.

Gratia magna tamen solatur morte peremtum:

Semper Apollineus flore resurgit amor.

--168

 

--Anthologia Latina / Codex Salmasianus 167 -168

While practicing discus, Hyacinthus encountered a life-altering event;

The discus he’d thrown struck and split open his temples.

Apollo was not able to save his beloved;

But now Hyacinthus' blood fills up the countryside with blossoms.

 

A wayward discus struck his temples while he was practicing

And so beautiful Hyacinthus died a terrible death.

An immense blessing consoles the fallen youth:

Apollo’s love blossoms every season.  

CODEX SALMASIANUS	MAP:
Name:  Codex Salmasianus Date:  6th Century CE Works:  ---	REGION  3
BIO:	Timeline:
The Codex Salmasianus is a manuscript of Latin poetry that preserves poetry from 6th century CE and earlier. It was named after Claude de Saumaise, a 17th century scholar who owned the manuscript.	BYZANTINE / LATE LATIN

 

 

M/M: Our Hearts Will Light the Way, A Fragment from Valerius Aedituus

Our Hearts Will Light the Way: An Early Roman Poet to His Boyfriend

Name: Valerius Aedituus Date:  1st century BCE Region: Rome [modern Italy]  Citation: Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 19.9.12

Phileros, you hold up a torch,

But we don’t need it.

The flame that shines in our hearts

Will produce enough light for us as we travel.

No raging wind can extinguish it;

Nor can the sudden rainstorm quench it.

Only Venus herself, if she is willing, can.

No other force can quench this fire between us.

Our Hearts Will Light the Way: An Early Roman Poet to his Boyfriend

 

Qui faculam praefers, Phileros, quae nil opus nobis?

Ibimus sic, lucet pectore flamma satis.

Istam nam potis est vis saeva extinguere venti

Aut imber caelo candidus praecipitans,

At contra hunc ignem Veneris, nisi si Venus ipsa,

Nullast quae possit vis alia opprimere.

Valerius Aedituus [1st century BCE] Little is known about the life of the Roman poet Valerius Aedituus except that he lived during the 1st century BCE. Only fragments remain of his poetry.

M/M: Kisses Mixed With Wine, Martial XI.26

 NOTE: Although the Romans did not find the relationship between Zeus and Ganymede problematic, it is important to not romanticize this relationship in the modern world, as the massive power imbalance negates the consent of the relationship in our views. 

O mihi grata quies, o blanda, Telesphore, cura,
    qualis in amplexu non fuit ante meo,
basia da nobis vetulo, puer, uda Falerno,
    pocula da labris facta minora tuis.
Addideris super haec Veneris si gaudia vera,
    esse negem melius cum Ganymede Jovi.

 

--Martial, Epigrams 11.26

Telesphorus, darling, my sweet respite from stress,

My love, I’ve never felt this way before I’d embraced you,

Give me kisses that taste like wine,

Give me wineglasses that your lips have first kissed.

If you also grant me your love,

I’d say I’m better than Jupiter with his Ganymede.

MARTIAL	MAP:
Name: Marcus Valerius Martialis Date:  40 CE – 104 CE Works:  Epigrammaton Libri XV*                De Spectaculis	REGION  2 (Hispania)
BIO:	Timeline:
Originally from Bilbilis, Hispania, the poet Martial moved to Rome in the 60s CE to advance his career. His two extant works include de Spectaculis, a collection of poems written to commemorate the opening of the Colosseum, and a fifteen volume collection of epigrams. These epigrams provide valuable insight into the mores and private lives of men and women from all of the city’s social classes.	SILVER AGE ROME

I Am--and Remain--a Girl: An Early Advocate for LGBTQIA+ Rights

I AM –and Remain—a Girl

Name: Numa Numantius [born Karl Heinrich Ulrichs] Date: 1825 - 1895 Region: Hannover [modern Germany] Citation: Inclusa ¶ 97

 

I was given a man’s beard,

A man’s limbs,

A man’s body.

And although I am trapped within them,

I am

And remain

A girl.

Sunt mihi barba maris, artus, corpusque virile

His inclusa quidem: sed sum maneoque puella.

Numa Numantius [Karl Heinrich Ulrichs; 1825 – 1895, modern Germany], was an early advocate for the decriminalization of relationships between consenting adult same-sex couples in Hannover.  In a series of pamphlets written under the pen name Numa Numantius, the author used primary sources from the Greco-Roman world to undo the erasure of queer voices from modern society. Numa was also one of the first advocates to link the high level of suicides of gay men to the bigotry and violence that they faced in society. 

I'm Getting To Old For This: Horace, Carm. 4.1

I’m Getting Too Old For This

Name:  Horace Date:  65 – 8 BCE Region: Venosa / Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  Songs 4.1.29-40

Neither a girlfriend

Or a boyfriend

Can tempt me now,

Nor does the hope of a mutual affection thrill me.

I’m no longer in the mood for partying

I’m too old to put springtime flowers on this old forehead of mine.

But why, Ligurinus, tell me why

I’m crying right now?

Why is my tongue tied suddenly?

At night, 

in my dreams, I hold you next to me.

I follow you through the Campus Martius,

I follow you through the waters,

As you fly from me, you cruel bird.

I’m Getting Too Old For This

Me nec femina nec puer

iam nec spes animi credula mutui               

nec certare iuvat mero

nec vincire novis tempora floribus.

Sed cur heu, Ligurine, cur

manat rara meas lacrima per genas?

Cur facunda parum decoro               

inter verba cadit lingua silentio?

Nocturnis ego somniis

iam captum teneo, iam volucrem sequor

te per gramina Martii

campi, te per aquas, dure, volubilis.         

 

Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus; 65 – 8 BCE, modern Italy] is known for his famous line, “Carpe Diem.” He was an Italian-born poet who lived during the rise and reign of Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Although his life began with civil unrest and uncertainty (his father was enslaved and later freed during the civil wars of the 1st century BCE), Horace became friends with the influential entrepreneur Maecenas and earned the position in Augustus’ literary circle.  His poetry provides valuable insight into social changes that occurred during the transition from republic to empire.