Toxic Masculinity: Roots in Ancient Greece and Rome
What does it mean to be a man? How can we account for the diversity of masculine ideals in antiquity? Gender between the ancient world is split up between sexuality and class. Every social class has its ideals for what it means to be the perfect man.
Certain ideals to be perfect in most society is common — male, elite and aristocratic.
Being Naked is Being Godly
When we focus on the 5th century BCE, the ideal Greek man would be the naked man. Evident in greek sculpture and other depictions, in Greece, to be naked is to be heroic. Nakedness is considered closer to Godliness. To the greeks, being naked is a way of distinguishing themselves from the Barbarians.
Persian men were often depicted as wearing armor and flimsy hats to denote they had lousily come to war with their weapons while Greek soldiers were depicted completely naked with their weapons, fighting bravely.
The Tale of Tyrannicides
Harmodius and Aristogeiton were two lovers from ancient Athens who freed Athens from the Peisistratid tyrants and therefore, came to be known as the Tyrannicides. Tyrannicides, the preeminent symbol of democracy to ancient Athenians, represent the ideal version of masculinity among their social class. They killed the tyrants causing hell and havoc, thus becoming heroes who did what was right to the middle class. Their bravery and perfection were so popular that Xerxes, ruler of Persia, stole rather than destroy the Harmodius and Aristogeiton Sculpture when he captured Athens symbolizing that the Athenians had been robbed of their democracy.
Masculinity of the Brain
Politicians and Speech Makers in Ancient Greece were considered masculine because of their oratory skills and the power in their words to bring nations together. They weren’t expected to be naked or to battle and show their physical masculinity. Men like that could be compared to present-day leaders like Barack Obama. Their masculinity doesn’t necessarily come from the physicality but more of the impact that their words and speeches could make.
Another important social class in Ancient Greece was the philosophers. For people like Plato and Aristotle, their masculinity came from their ability to think deeply, explore questions, and question morality. Their masculinity was questioned when their knowledge was questioned.
The qualities to be an ideal male for slaves, working-class, and laborers are quite similar to the ones men in the present world are obligated to fulfill. They were expected to be muscular, providing for their household, strong, working in the field, hunting, fishing, etc.
Fragility of Masculinity in Ancient Rome
When we fast forward some of the history and come of 1st Century AD Rome, we can see Augustus as the ruler of Ancient Rome. Augustus was a man of honor, brave, elite and aristocratic. Contrary to the Greek beliefs, Augustus is shown as dressed in a traditional Roman toga with an armor. In this version of masculinity, it all came down to their attire and how they show clothing in their status.
The ideal roman masculinity was very easy to destroy. To destroy a roman man of honor, all one had to do was discredit his sexuality. This masculinity was very fragile and the whole idea of what it meant to be a man could be very easily dismantled. Following the story of Mark Antony, he was completely drawn apart from the senate because he was accused of sleeping his way to power. The accusation stated, Mark Antony slept with a man who was in more power and a higher position than him to become a member of the senate and get power.
This version of masculinity was so fragile, it could be destroyed with the accusation of acting like a woman, in any sense. If members of the senate and elite with accused of the same, a man was no longer seen fit to rule, lead, or have a powerful position in society or politics.
A Masculine Conclusion
The one thing that binds every version of masculinity together is the fear of being called a woman. Each man adapts to the ideals of whatever their society expects men to be like and they make sure that they are dominant. And, even though masculinity is fluid, ever-changing, dependent on time, place, people and context, the essence of these greek and roman ideas of manliness is with us yet today.
