"Thy love to me was wonderful,
surpassing the love for women."
--King David, speaking of Jonathan
Niankhkhnum & Khnumhotep
(Egypt, c. 2400 BCE) The first recorded same sex couple. The tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep was discovered by the Egyptian archaeologist Ahmed Moussa in the necropolis at Saqqara in 1964. It was built for two men and were found holding hands with a painting of them touching noses which in Egyptian art is the most intimate pose. They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Niussere during the Fifth Dynasty. And they are listed as “royal confidantes” in their joint tomb. Niankhkhnum means “joined to life” and Khnumhotep means “joined to the blessed state of the dead.” Together the names can be translated as “joined in life and joined in death” – Gladis Acosta-Gonzales & Aaron Benson
Neferkare Pepy II
Neferkare Pepy II (Egypt 2284--2184 BCE) was a pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty in Egypt’s Old Kingdom. It is believed that his reign of possibly 94 years was the longest in ancient Egyptian history. Over his long life he was thought to have had many wives, several who were his nieces and one that was his half-sister and several male concubines. Upon finding out that a pygmy was captured by Harkhuf on an expedition to trade and collect ivory, ebony and other precious items, an excited young king sent word back that Harkhuf would be greatly rewarded if the pygmy were brought back alive, likely to serve as an entertainer for the Court. –Tammy Matteau
David & Jonathan
(second king of Israel, reign. c.1010--971/961 BCE) are two figures whose intimate relationship was recorded favorably in the Hebrew Old Testament in the book of Samuel. They lived in the Kingdom of Israel where Jonathan was the son of King Saul and David was the son of Jesse. After David slain Goliath he was brought before the king. “And it came to pass, when he (David) had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Jonathan later saved David’s life after being ordered to kill him. Jonathan is depicted in the Bible as having an intimate relationship with David, making it one of the earliest references to homosexual behavior. When Jonathan died, David lamented: "Thy love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love for women." —Logan Robb & Denise Navarro
Sappho
(Lesbos, Greece, c.620--c.560 BCE) One of the most important lyrists and few known female poets of the ancient world. Later Greeks included her in the canonical list of nine lyric poets. The bulk of her poetry, which was well-known and greatly admired throughout antiquity, has been lost, but her immense reputation has endured through surviving fragments. Her style was sensual and melodic. She primarily wrote songs of love, yearning, and reflection. Plato elevated her from the status of great lyric poet to one of the muses. Upon hearing one of her songs, Solon, an Athenian ruler, lawyer, and a poet himself, asked that he be taught the song "Because I want to learn it and die." Especially in the last century, Sappho has become so synonymous with woman-love that two of the most popular words to describe female homosexuality are “lesbian” and “sapphic,” both of which came from her. Mystery surrounds her death, though, rumor states she threw herself off a cliff because of a broken heart. -- Summer Coggle & Lucki Laub
Aristogeiton & Harmodius
Aristogeiton (Athens, Greece, c. 550--517 BCE) and Harmodius (c. 530--514 BCE ) were known as “The Liberators” Harmodius was the eromenos (young lover) of Aristogeiton, lovers famous for overthrowing the tyrant Hipparchus in 527 BCE, thereby inaugurating democracy. They were the first two Greeks considered by their countrymen worthy of having statues raised to them –Nathan Hickman
Mizi Xia
(China, c.534-489 BCE) is famous because of his relationship with Duke Ling of Wei. It is said that because the ruler was fond of him he got away with certain behaviors that would normally cause trouble. Once Mizi borrowed the ruler’s carriage which was punishable by amputation of the feet. He borrowed it to go see his sick mother. Because Mizi was using it for a good cause and the ruler loved him, he chose not to punish Mizi instead praising him for loving his mother so much he risked losing his feet. The ruler and Mizi were said to have the love known between a husband and wife. -- Ashlie Hashimoto
Sophocles
(Athens, Greece, 495--406 BCE) one of the greatest playwrights in ancient Greece, and wrote over 123 plays in his life, including his immortal trilogy Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. Also, for almost 50 years he dominated in the dramatic competitions, of ancient Athens, that took place during the religious festival of the Lenaea and Dionysia. Sophocles vastly influenced the drama by developing his characters to a much greater extent than earlier playwrights, and by using female characters in his plays. Sophocles a love of youths. It was alleged that in addition to his female courtesans that he was fond of young lads. Sophocles had children and grandchildren who became playwrights themselves.--Alysha Davis & Tony Carpenter
Euripides
(Greece c. 484--407 BCE) From the beginning he was destined to be a misunderstood poet. He only won five awards; one of the awards was not awarded to him until after his death. Euripides wrote about 92 plays. The judges of the Greek festivals ignored Euripides because he did not approve of their superstitions, did not cater to the Athenian crowds, and refused to condone their moral hypocrisy. He was more of a pacifist, a free thinker, and a humanitarian. He chose to live much of his life alone with his books on the island of Salamis. Most famously is known for works like Medea, Electra, Alcestis, and The Bacchae. He was buried at Pella, though a cenotaph was erected to him in Athens.–Tim Asay
Socrates
Socrates (Greece, 470—399 bce) The father of Western Philosophy who challenged the minds of young male citizens. Socrates lived in Athens after the city had been defeated by Sparta and was working to rebuild. He is best known for the creation of Socratic irony and the Socratic Method, or elenchus. Specifically, Socrates is renowned for developing the practice of a philosophical type of pedagogy, in which the teacher asks questions of the student to elicit the best answer, and fundamental insight, on the part of the student. He believed that a perfect government was a republic run by philosophers, and he opposed the democracy in Athens. His opposition may have been the reason for his death. He was found guilty of corrupting the youth and was sentenced to death by poison. Socrates made no secret of his several lovers among them Alcibiades and Agothon, a beautiful young boy and encouraged young men to sleep with older men, who can mentor them in the ways of society. – Stephanie Boyd & Logan Robb
Aristophanes
(Greece, 446--386 BCE) was a comic playwright in Athens. He is considered the creator of Old Comedy. In a time when Poets where teachers by tradition, he was a playwright. As a playwright of “old comedy” his works were topical, making fun of current events and people, including politicians. He is attributed to have the most accurate portrayal of Ancient Athens life in his plays, when every aspect of morality and public life was fair game for testing under public examination. Gender roles and conflicts were naturally part of those subjects under scrutiny. His plays are also said to be the basis of early European theater and in turn have shaped how theater is understood at present. He wrote approximately 40 plays, of which 11 have come down to us. Today his most famous, and frequently performed, plays are The Frogs and Lysistrata -- Edgar Zuñiga & Aldo Gomez
Xenophon
(Greece, 430--350 BCE) was a student and philosopher who studied with Socrates and gave us many of his writings and thoughts. He was extremely fond of him. Xenophon was a passionate believer in what he believed and fought with the Spartans and other armies at the time, leading the armies in many cases, with Cyrus the Younger, the Prince of Persia. Captured young men were kept in a kind of harem for the officers.-- Jake Andersen
Plato
(Greece, 427?--347? bce) Born in Athens, Plato’s moral philosophy is
considered the philosophical foundation of the Medieval Christian Church and
the culture of the Western world. A
disciple of Socrates, Plato taught
the young emperor Dionyses II,
traveled and wrote extensively, and established and taught at a school of
philosophy called the Academy, whose most famous student was Aristotle. His writings contain observations about
homoeroticism and the Greek custom of older men loving younger men.—Allene Dotson
Demosthenes
(Athens, Greece, 384--322 bce) prominent Greek statesman, actor, and orator of his time. He is the father of Alexander the Great. He restored Athens’s supremacy by motivating his people against King Phillip II of Macedonia. After King Phillip’s death, Demosthenes helped lead Athens in an uprising against the new King of Macedonia. The revolt was ended quickly my the Macedonians, and they soon began to track down Demosthenes. He took his own life in order to avoid being arrested for his actions against the Macedonian Empire. He was known to be involved in pederasty, which is erotic love between adolescents and adult men. – Alysha Davis & Kortni Coats
Alexander the Great
king of Macedonia, 356—323 bce) was a Greek king of Macedon. He was most famous for his successful military skills as a commander and his presumed undefeated battle record. By the time he had died he had conquered most of the known world at that time. He used many foreigners in his army and brought many scholars to credit him with a policy of fusion. As a young man, he was tutored by Aristotle in concepts of rhetoric, literature, science, medicine, and philosophy. Though he married two women and is rumored to have married a third, he mourned the death of his lover Hephaestian, the son of a Macedonian king, with extravagant funeral rites. –--Ashley Rackl & Logan Robb