The Right to Rape

Rape was common in Ancient Greece and seen by men as a 'right of domination.'

- Ancient Greece, History of Sex

Everyone agrees that even today rape remains a serious problem which must be prevented at any cost. However, the modern world's prosecution and incarceration of rapists is, in fact, a distinctly Judeo-Christian practice. Throughout the many centuries of Christianity, rape was seen as an outrage which was severely punished by the Church and State authorities. It never worked perfectly, of course, but the main ideal of catching and punishing those who sexualy assaulted others has enver waivered for nearly 2,000 yeas.

In stark contrast to this, many pre-Christian societies seldom, if ever, bothered to punish those who sexually assaulted others, whether they were male or female, slave or free. Greco-Roman civilization was no different and, as a consequence, the frequency of rape was much, much higher than it is today.

Indeed, it is only due to the Christian faith that the Roman Empire finally made rape a serious crime and began pnnishing those who committed it. Before that occurred however, the practice of violent sexual assault was viewed by Pagans as being within their 'rights' to do so, and that they did. A common method used by Greco-Roman males was to hide themselves near the wells used for drinking water. The rapists 'staked out water wells and then raped the women when they went to get water.' These weren't the only victims. One source notes that it was very common for Greco-Roman men 'to rape prostitutes, slaves, and their own wives.' Prostitutes, in particular, were vulnerable to attacks as 'Roman men were also allowed to beat and rape prostitutes who didn't perform the services they wanted for the prices that they wanted.'

Were Greece and Rome exceptional examples when it came to the acceptance and frequent occurence of violent rape? One should keep in mind that the ancient world also contained cultures where rape was fairly uncommon and highly frowned upon by most everyone. Some of them even had laws which prohibited and punished rape as a crime. The key to understanding why rape was such a common practice within the Greco-Roman Empire, is to understand their religious faith. In short, the Pagan Greeks, and soon after them the Romans, worshiped a certain set of gods who were known to be serial rapists, as well as violent murderers and sexual perverts. One source notes the major myths surrounding at least some of these Pagan deities:

Zeus, the god, was the master rapist who raped many women. He raped Leda in the form of a swan. He raped Danae disguised as the rain. He raped Alkmen disguised as her own husband. Zeus even raped other men, such as Ganymede.

- Ancient Greece, History of Sex

Thus, it should come as no surprise that rape was indeed tolerated and frequently practic