Attic Red-Figure Cup (Underside)

Relationships between youths and older men were a central component of ancient Athenian aristocratic society. These relationships could have a sexual or amorous aspect, with the youth characterized as the beloved and his elder the lover, but they also encompassed education and preparation for adult life.

On the exterior of this drinking cup, men – marked as mature by their beards – stand before seated youths. The nature of their interaction is made clear by the hare presented by one of the men. Hares were popular love gifts in Athenian society, symbolic of pursuit, and in a second pairing, another hare sits tamely on the lap of a youth. Lyres, sponges, string bags with knucklebones, and oil jars (aryballoi) hang in the background. These suggest key locations of male social activity – the gymnasium and symposium – and in turn the values to which these youths will aspire – physical prowess and cultured performance. On the interior of the cup, a man and youth stand toe-to-toe. Their relationship seems to have moved beyond the preliminary giving of gifts depicted on the exterior. The youth stands demurely, swathed in his cloak, under the gaze of his elder. He holds a tortoise-shell lyre, as though ready for instruction.

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