Temple To Gay Love Discovered

[Guest Les]

Temple To Gay Love Discovered

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

 

 

Posted: November 15, 2002

12:03 a.m. ET/+5GMT/-3PT

 

(Rome) The romance between the Emperor Hadrian and former slave boy Antinous is one of the world's greatest love stories but it also contains one of the ancient world's greatest mysteries.

 

Hadrian, who lived from 76-138 AD, is considered one of Rome's greatest emperors. Antinous by all accounts was beautiful and said to have had great intelligence and a sharp wit. He was also considered a great hunter and athlete.

 

Precisely what happened to Antinous in October of 130 is unknown. The Historia Augusta reports, "[Hadrian] lost his Antinous along the Nile." Hadrian simply wrote, "He fell into the Nile." That this is all the extant written comment from the Emperor on the subject is made all the more frustrating by the fact that the word he used for "fell" can imply either an accident fall or a deliberate one.

 

Whether the Greek beauty fell into the water, committed suicide or was pushed in has been hotly debated for centuries. He was despised by the emperor's jealous aides, but it could never be proven that he was murdered. Other scholars claim Antinous committed suicide before old age destroyed his looks. He was 21.

 

Nevertheless Hadrian was grief stricken and went into a deep depression from which he never emerged. He immediately declared Antinous a god and founded the city of Antinopolis in Egypt on the spot where the youth's body was found. He commissioned statues of Antinous to be erected throughout the empire. But, no major memorial has ever been found in Italy, a fact that has mystified scholars.

 

Now, a massive temple to the youth has been uncovered during new excavations at Hadrian's sprawling villa, about 30 km east of Rome.

 

Zaccaria Mari, the head archaeologist on the site said archaeologists now have dug up parts of the walls of the monumental temple that dates to 134 AD, shortly after Antinous' death, and made a couple of exploratory excavations.

 

"We found a series of fountains and planters for interior gardens, niches for statues and very important marble fragments, some with Egyptian hieroglyphics," Mari said.

 

"I'm sure this discovery will cause a lot of controversy, because it flies in the face of previously accepted theories, but only further excavations will give all of the answers."

 

 

http://ladyhedgehog.hedgie.com/graphics/antinous/antinoushead.jpg

[Rick Munroe]

>Antinous by all accounts was

>beautiful and said to have had

>great intelligence and a sharp wit.

 

I must be descended from him. (coming soon to a theater near you: "Rick Munroe and His Amazingly Overinflated Ego")

[bluenix]

Is it just me, or does he have Michael Jackson's nose?

.

.

.

http://ladyhedgehog.hedgie.com/graphics/antinous/antinoushead.jpg

[Guest NakedTony]

>Is it just me, or does he have Michael Jackson's nose?

 

No, Michael Jackson's nose is whiter.

[Guest fukamarine]

>Hadrian, who lived from 76-138 AD, is considered one of

>Rome's greatest emperors. Antinous by all accounts was

>beautiful and said to have had great intelligence and a sharp

>wit.

 

Sounds like a real queen to me.

 

fukamarine

[jack]

Les, and thank you for your scholarship and excellent thoughtful report. Keep us posted on the manifestations of this love affair.

[+ bigjoey]

in kansas city, mo at the NELSON GALLERY there are statues of the two men. the gallery guides refer to that area as "the boys' corner". the youth's beauty is clear over all these centuries. next time anyone visits that city, stop in for a look. sorry rick, they are busts only so you can not compare you assets to the young man's.

[trilingual]

On a visit to Buenos Aires a few years back, I spotted a blond Antinous look-alike working as a bus boy in the food court of the Galerías Pacífico shopping center. It was a very strange dejá vu moment, but the kid was heart-stoppingly beautiful. Here are a some better shots of the original Antinous:

 

http://www.templeofantinous.com/antinousneap.jpg

 

http://www.templeofantinous.com/antinousathens.jpg

 

http://www.templeofantinous.com/antinousapollo.jpg

[Guest Les]

Thanks Tri!:7

These are wonderful...I hate to be so lewd got one of his butt?.. LOL