078 - The lovers with the birds ...

ETRUSCAN / (Text translated by Google) / In classical Greece, the eraste was an adult man engaged in a relationship with a teenager pederastic called eromene, and this, with the approval of his father. The man then proceeded to the ritual removal of the boy. While the latter began an apprenticeship under the responsibility of adults, which isolated him in the campaign for several months. It was about a boy's clever fighter and a courageous fighter. Throughout this period, the couple shared sexual activities. It is considered normal for the boy to offer himself to his lover as a token of appreciation for the efforts of the man dedicated to his training. After this period, the boy was taken back to the city, where they celebrated his return and social renaissance, publicly and at great expense. The eraste was generally an influential citizen, engaged in social and political life of his city, mostly married with families, enjoying a considerable fortune. Taking care of a pederast relationship was expensive, especially during the festivities which ended the period of probation, which required a banquet and gifts prescribed as an ox sacrificed to Zeus, military equipment to serve as eromene became a warrior capable of defending his city and finally a section to indicate that he could now share the civic feasts male called symposia and banquets of men. It was not uncommon that friends of eraste clubbed together to meet the expenditure, the event brings together friends and one of the other partner, as an important family celebration. Depending on the periods and regions, the boy could expose his partner if the relationship was forced against his will and thus sever the relationship. Besides, in Sparta where it was mandatory, this initiation ritual does not concern all citizens. But those who knew her were given special marks of honor! This preamble was very necessary to understand the scene of the table where a couple of men face to face, the knees slightly eraste to be at the height of the young Adonis. The scene seems unambiguous, the young man is a plaintiff. The father of our love is due to Peithinos, painter of Greek vases with red figures at the end of the 6th century BC
The birds are those of Stymphalos Heracles had to face in the context of his twelve labors. Their behavior seems very peaceful face of this beautiful couple!
Birds of Stymphalos: The sixth of Labours of Hercules was to exterminate the birds Stymphalian, which killed all passengers, men and beasts, by throwing a hail of bronze feathers as arrows and ate them with their beaks and claws of brass.