Antiquity on Uránia

An Ancient Punishment for Adultery – Inserting Fish and Radish into the Anus (Rhaphanidosis)

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0700

Rhaphanidosis (ῥαφανίδωσις) in classical Athens of the fifth to fourth centuries BCE was the forcible insertion of a radish root into the anus.

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum: The First Same-Sex Couple in History?

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum served at the pharaoh’s court in Ancient Egypt. They held the position of overseers of the royal manicurists. They became famous not for their service, but for the circumstances of their burial: the men were interred together in a single tomb.

Two Scenes of Sex Between Men in the Etruscan Tomb of the Chariots

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0700

Who Were the Etruscans

The Etruscans lived during the 1st millennium BCE in the region of Etruria – the territory of present-day central Italy. They had their own cities, religion, language, and a sophisticated culture. Early Rome developed alongside the Etruscans and under their influence.

How Duke Xian of Jin Sent a Beautiful Youth to Another Ruler to Weaken His Court and Then Conquer His Country

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:45:37 +0700

In the ancient Chinese text Zhanguo ce, there is a story about the ruler of Jin, Duke Xian-gong, to whom especially cunning diplomatic methods are attributed. One of them was pressure on a rival through the placement of an attractive young man in his inner circle.

“The Bitten Peach”: Duke Ling of Wei and Mizi Xia as One of the Earliest Same-Sex Court Tales in Chinese History

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 22:45:37 +0700

Ling, the ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wei in the 6th–5th centuries BCE, was married. Yet when he is mentioned, people more often recall his relationship with a young man named Mizi Xia. Their love gave rise to the image – and the expression – “the bitten peach,” (余桃) which came to signify male same-sex love in Chinese culture.

The Statue of Idet and Ruiu — Lesbians of Ancient Egypt?

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

This sculpture belongs to Egypt’s New Kingdom, specifically the 18th Dynasty, which flourished roughly between 1480 and 1390 BCE. The New Kingdom was the high point of Egyptian power: the state expanded its borders, erected major temples, and produced vast quantities of art. The period is noted for preserving traditional artistic conventions while paying closer attention to individual features.

A Queer Theological Reading of Leviticus 18:22: “Do Not Lie With A Man As With A Woman”

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. It is an abomination (Lev. 18:22).

If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them (Lev. 20:13).

A Queer Lexicon of Ancient Egypt

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

How to Read the Ancient Egyptian Language

We do not know what Ancient Egyptian truly sounded like. The main reason is simple: writing almost never recorded vowels.

Divine Homosexuality in the Ancient Egyptian Myth of Horus and Seth

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:45:37 +0700

One of the earliest Egyptian myths describes a confrontation between Seth and his nephew Horus. In one episode, Seth attempts to have sexual intercourse with Horus in order to humiliate him and affirm his own superiority. Horus acts differently: he catches Seth’s semen in his hand and discards it.

Goddess Nephthys – a Lesbian?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Who Is Nephthys

Nephthys is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who belongs to the so-called Heliopolitan Ennead – a group of nine major gods worshipped in the city of Heliopolis.

What Gender Is God in the Old Testament?

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In many ancient religions, male deities are depicted with explicitly emphasized sexuality.

In the Bible, the portrayal is different. God is disclosed through Israel’s history and through the speech of the prophets, and these disclosures are preserved in the texts of the Old Testament. They describe how God presented Himself to people. Within these texts, He calls Himself the Father of Israel. Does this imply that God is male? No. Below are reasons why biblical language employs masculine terms without reducing God to male sex.

A Homoerotic Plot in Ancient Egyptian Literature: Pharaoh Pepi II Neferkare and General Sasenet

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Ancient Egyptian literature rarely touched on the personal lives of pharaohs. In this respect, Pepi II is an exception. Particularly notable is the homoerotic Tale of King Neferkare and General Sasenet: for its era, narratives of this kind were seldom recorded in writing.

A Possible Same-Sex Intercourse Scene from Ancient Egypt – The Erotic Ostracon

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 22:45:37 +0700

What an Ostracon Is

An ostracon is a potsherd – most often from a clay vessel – or a small piece of stone used in antiquity for writing and drawing. Papyrus was expensive and not always available, so people used whatever was at hand for notes, drafts, and practice exercises. Ostraca are known from Egypt, Ancient Greece, and other parts of the ancient world.