Sparta's constitution strictly prohibited pederasty. Far from it being institutionalized, as many modern historians claim: contemporary accounts, the evidence of archaeology, and modern psychology all strongly support those ancient historians who vehemently denied pederasty in Sparta.
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No myth about Sparta is as persistent and controversial as the insistence that pederasty and homosexuality dominated Spartan society. Even highly reputable historians such as Paul Cartledge subscribe to this theory. However, the evidence against it is, in my opinion, compelling.
Xenophon, the only historian with first-hand experience of the agoge (his sons attended it!), states explicitly: "… [Lycurgus] … laid down that in Sparta lovers should refrain from molesting boys, just as much as parents avoid having intercourse with their children or brothers with their sisters." It is hard to find a more definitive statement than this, and from the most credible source. To dismiss this evidence simply because it does not suit preconceived ideas is arrogant.
Xenophon adds: "It does not surprise me, however, that some people do not believe this, since in many cities the laws do not oppose lusting after boys." This is the crux of the matter. All of our written sources on Sparta come from these other cities, where pederasty was rampant. In short, the bulk of the written record on Sparta stems from men who could not imagine a world without it.
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elysiumgates
