- Catamite
A catamite is the younger partner in a pederastic relationship between two males, which was a popular arrangement in many areas of the ancient world.
King s andEmperor s in theancient world (depending on theirsexual orientation ) had not onlyconcubine s but also catamites (male concubines), in addition to their many wives.The word is also used to describe the practice in early
Japan , where monks would have sexual relationships with younger monks;samurai with pages; and noblemen with younger members of thearistocracy .The word "catamite" is derived from the
Latin "catamitus", itself borrowed from the Etruscan "catmite", a corruption of the Greek "Ganymedes", the boy who was seduced byZeus and became his beloved andcup-bearer inGreek mythology .In literature
Anthony Burgess starts his novel "Earthly Powers " with the sentence:In
Cormac McCarthy 's depiction of survival in a post-apocalyptic society in "The Road ", where many have reverted to cannibalism, the protagonists encounter, while hiding from a distance, people that were enslaved and who are referred to as "catamites," along with pregnant women and carriage-pulling slaves.ee also
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Sexuality in ancient Rome
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