Ancient Greek Eroticism - An Introduction

Ancient Greek Eroticism - An Introduction Our knowledge about ancient Greek eroticism changes constantly, as more literary and artistic evidence is found and analyzed and as contemporary scholarship puts a new spin on old data. The Concept of Eros in Greece Ancient Greek society had different words for different kinds of love. Eros, for the most part, denoted love that had a sexual component. It could refer to the ideal marital affection between men and women, but also encompassed homosexual relationships. The concept of pederasty, which involved an older man who was both lover and mentor to a young man, also was connected to the idea of eros. This was not uncommon across all the varied Greek city-states. Sparta had homosexual relationships built into the structure of the training all young Spartan men received, although there is some disagreement among historians about whether the relationships were more paternalistic mentorships or primarily sexual. In other Dorian areas also homosexuality was widely accepted. Thebes saw in the 4th century the creation of a battalion of homosexual lovers- the Sacred Band. In Crete, there is evidence of ritualized abduction of younger men by older men. Contrary to popular belief, eros was not solely a sexual institution. In the case of pederastic eros, the relationships were considered educational above all else. Plato also theorized that eros could be directed towards mathematics and philosophy, rather than sexuality, in order to harness that driving energy towards improving ones mental and spiritual state. Sexuality, Myth, and History By the end of the 5th century BC, the concept of erotic and/or romantic homosexual love was enshrined in myth and art. Poets told stories in which male gods had relationships with young, beautiful human men, while myths also depicted similar relationships between human men or tweaked existing myths to fit this dichotomy of lover and beloved. One of the better-known myths of this sort is that of Achilles and Patroclus. According to the myths, Achilles, hero of the Trojan War, had an older and wiser companion named Patroclus. When Patroclus was killed in battle, Achilles completely broke down. The original Homeric texts did not specify a sexual relationship between the men, but later authors firmly interpreted their bond as romantic and sexual. The myth of Achilles and Patroclus was said to have inspired Alexander the Great in his relationship with his closest companion, Hephaestion. Again, however, the true nature of that relationship is unknown: whether they were lovers or had a non-sexual close companionship. In general, homosexual relationships between men were predominantly between an older and a younger partner. The idea of an adult male being the beloved of another man would have been frowned upon or outright stigmatized, since adult men were supposed to become dominant and not passive. Restrictions on Greek Women Women were considered the guardians of Athenian citizenship, but that didnt confer any rights. A citizen of Athens had to make sure all his wifes children were his. To keep her away from temptation, she was locked away in the womens quarters and accompanied by a male whenever she went outside. If she were caught with another man, the man could be killed or brought to court. When a woman married, she was a piece of property transferred from her father (or other male guardian) to her husband. In Sparta, the need for Spartan citizens was strong, so women were encouraged to bear children to a citizen who would sire well if her own husband proved inadequate. There she wasnt so much her spouses property as the states- as were her children and her husband. Because of this emphasis on the need for citizens, however, Spartan women had higher social standing, and the city-state honored the institution of marriage and the marital bond. Same-sex love between women was less recorded due to the role of women in society as a whole, but did exist. The most famous evidence of this is the poetry of Sappho, who wrote romantic poetry directed at women and girls. However, love between two women did not have the same usefulness as the educational/military bond of male-male relationships, and was therefore not supported socially. Plato and Current Theories of Greek Sexualities In Platos Symposium (a treatise on Athenian eroticism) the playwright Aristophanes offers a colorful explanation for why all these sexual options existed. In the beginning, there were three types of double-headed humans, he said, varying according to sex: male/male, female/female, and male/female. Zeus, angered at the humans, punished them by splitting them in half. From then on, each half has forever sought out his other half. Plato himself had a very wide range of views on homosexuality: early texts show him praising such relationships as preferable to heterosexual ones, but he also wrote later texts denouncing them. Scholars also continue to debate whether or not erotic love and sexual preferences were considered defining personality categories in ancient Greece. Current scholarship, including feminist and Foucauldian, applies a variety of theoretical models to the literary and artistic evidence we have about ancient sexuality. To some, sexuality is culturally defined, to others, there are universal constants. Application of Athenian literary evidence from the fifth and fourth centuries to preceding or succeeding generations is problematic, but not nearly so hard as trying to extend it to all of Greece. The resources below reflect a variety of approaches. Sources and Further Reading Cullhed, A, Franzen C, and Hallengren A. (editors). Pangs of Love and Longing: Configurations of Desire in Premodern Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014.Dover, KJ. Greek Homosexuality. 3rd editon. London: Bloomsbury Press, 2016.Ferrari, Gloria.  Figures of Speech: Men and Maidens in Ancient Greece. University of Chicago Press, 2002.Foucault M. The History of Sexuality. Volume 1: An Introduction. Vintage Press, 1986.Foucault M. The History of Sexuality. Volume 2: The Use of Pleasure. Vintage Press, 1988.Hubbard, Thomas K. A Companion to Greek and Roman Sexualities. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.Skinner, MB. Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture, 2nd edition: Wiley Blackwell, 2013.

USS Lake Champlain - CV-39 - Korean War

USS Lake Champlain - CV-39 - Korean War USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) - Overview: Nation:  United States Type:  Aircraft Carrier Shipyard:  Norfolk Naval Shipyard Laid Down:  March 15, 1943 Launched:  November 2, 1944 Commissioned:  June 3, 1945 Fate:  Sold for scrap, 1972 USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) - Specifications: Displacement:  27,100 tons Length:  888 ft. Beam:  93 ft. (waterline) Draft:  28 ft., 7 in. Propulsion:  8 Ãâ€" boilers, 4 Ãâ€" Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 4 Ãâ€" shafts Speed:  33 knots Complement:  3,448 men USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) - Armament: 4 Ãâ€" twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns4 Ãâ€" single 5 inch 38 caliber guns8 Ãâ€" quadruple 40 mm 56 caliber guns46 Ãâ€" single 20 mm 78 caliber guns Aircraft: 90-100 aircraft USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) - A New Design: Planned in the 1920s and 1930s, the US Navys  Lexington- and  Yorktown-class aircraft carriers were designed to meet the tonnage constraints established by the  Washington Naval Treaty. This placed limitations on the tonnage of various classes of vessels as well as installed a ceiling on each signatory’s overall tonnage. This approach was extended and revised by the 1930 London Naval Treaty. As the global situation worsened in the 1930s, Japan and Italy decided to depart the treaty system. With the failure of the agreement, the US Navy elected to advance efforts to create a new, larger class of aircraft carrier and one which incorporated the lessons learned from the  Yorktown-class. The resulting vessel was wider and longer as well as included a deck-edge elevator system. This had been utilized earlier on  USS  Wasp  (CV-7). In addition to carrying a more sizable air group, the new design included a more powerful anti-aircraft armament. Construction began on the lead ship,  USS  Essex  (CV-9), on April 28, 1941. With the attack on Pearl Harbor and US entry into  World War II, the  Essex-class soon became the US Navys primary design for fleet carriers. The initial four vessels after  Essex  followed the class original design. In early 1943, the US Navy made several alterations with goal of enhancing future vessels. The most noticeable of these changes was lengthening the bow to a clipper design which allowed for the mounting of two quadruple 40 mm mounts. Other changes saw the combat information center moved under the armored deck, improved ventilation and aviation fuel systems, a second catapult on the flight deck, and an additional fire control director. Called the long-hull  Essex-class or  Ticonderoga-class by some, the US Navy made no distinction between these and the earlier  Essex-class ships. USS Lake Champlain (CV-38) - Construction: The first carrier to commence construction with the improved Essex-class design was USS  Hancock  (CV-14) which was later re-named Ticonderoga.   This was followed by a multitude of ships including USS Lake Champlain (CV-39).   Named for Master Commandant Thomas MacDonoughs victory at Lake Champlain during the War of 1812, work began on March 15, 1943, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.   Sliding down the ways on November 2, 1944, Mildred Austin, wife of Vermont Senator Warren Austin, served as sponsor.   Construction rapidly moved forward and Lake Champlain  entered commission on June 3, 1945, with Captain Logan C. Ramsey in command.   USS Lake Champlain (CV-38) - Early Service: Completing shakedown operations along the East Coast, the carrier was ready for active service shortly after the war ended.   As a result, Lake Champlains first assignment was to Operation Magic Carpet which saw it steaming across the Atlantic to return American servicemen from Europe.   In November 1945, the carrier set a trans-Atlantic speed record when it sailed from Cape Spartel, Morocco to Hampton Roads in 4 days, 8 hours, 51 minutes while maintaining a speed of 32.048 knots.   This record stood until 1952 when it was broken by the liner SS United States.   As the US Navy downsized in the years after the war, Lake Champlain was moved into reserve status on February 17, 1947.   USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) - Korean War: With the beginning of the Korean War in June 1950, the carrier was reactivated and moved Newport News Shipbuilding for an SCB-27C modernization.   This saw major modifications to the carriers island, removal of its twin 5 gun mounts, enhancements to internal and electronic systems, rearrangement of internal spaces, strengthening of the flight deck, as well as the installation of steam catapults.   Leaving the yard in September 1952, Lake Champlain, now designated an attack aircraft carrier (CVA-39), began a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean in November.   Returning the following month, it then departed for Korea on April 26, 1953.   Sailing via the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, it arrived at Yokosuka on June 9.    Made flagship of Task Force 77, Lake Champlain commenced launching strikes against North Korean and Chinese forces.   In addition, its aircraft escorted US Air Force B-50 Superfortress bombers on raids against the enemy.   Lake Champlain continued to mount attacks and supported ground forces ashore until the signing of the truce on July 27.   Remaining in Korean waters until October, it left when USS (CV-33) arrived to take its place.   Departing, Lake Champlain touched at Singapore, Sri Lanka, Egypt, France, and Portugal on its way back to Mayport, FL.   Arriving home, the carrier began a series of peacetime training operations with NATO forces in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.    USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) - Atlantic NASA:               As tensions in the Middle East spiked in April 1957, Lake Champlain raced to the eastern Mediterranean where it operated off Lebanon until the situation calmed.   Returning to Mayport in July, it was re-classified as an anti-submarine carrier (CVS-39) on August 1.   After briefly training on the East Coast, Lake Champlain departed for a deployment to the Mediterranean.   While there, it provided aid in October following devastating floods in Valencia, Spain.   Continuing to alternate between the East Coast and European waters, Lake Champlains home port shifted to Quonset Point, RI in September 1958.   The next year saw the carrier move through the Caribbean and conduct a midshipmen training cruise to Nova Scotia.   In May 1961, Lake Champlain sailed to serve as the primary recovery ship for the first manned spaceflight by an American.   Operating approximately 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral, the carriers helicopters successfully recovered astronaut Alan Shepard and his Mercury capsule, Freedom 7, on May 5.   Resuming routine training operations during the next year, Lake Champlain then joined in the naval quarantine of Cuba during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.   In November, the carrier left the Caribbean and returned to Rhode Island.   Overhauled in 1963, Lake Champlain provided aid to Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Flora in September.   The next year saw the ship continue peacetime duties as well as take part in exercises off Spain. Though the US Navy desired to have Lake Champlain further modernized in 1966, this request was blocked by Secretary of the Navy Robert McNamara who believed that the anti-submarine carrier concept was ineffective.   In August 1965, the carrier again aided NASA by recovering Gemini 5 which splashed down in the Atlantic.   As Lake Champlain was not to be further modernized, it steamed for Philadelphia a short time later to prepare for deactivation.   Placed in the Reserve Fleet, the carrier was decommissioned on May 2, 1966.   Remaining in reserve, Lake Champlain was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on December 1, 1969 and sold for scrap three years later. Selected Sources DANFS: USS Lake Champlain  (CV-39)NavSource: USS  Lake Champlain  (CV-39)USS  Lake Champlain  (CV-39) - Air Groups