Very unusual traditions that existed in antiquity in relation to personal and public (there was one!) sexual life.
Perhaps our tinder pages and adult websites will also seem like amazing nonsense in a thousand years. Ugh, two-dimensional dating without connecting the smell, taste and tactile perception module! So we will not judge or evaluate anyone, but just be curious about how these amazing ancient Greeks lived. To broaden your horizons, as they say.
Of course, we are not going to write an encyclopedia of ancient life, but will limit ourselves to what we understand best โ sexual mores and customs. By the way, if you want to find out what happened there a little later, then we already wrote about this in the article 7 of the wildest sexual customs of Ancient Rome. The Greeks weren’t that wild, but they were no less adventurous! That’s what they were doing.
Sneezing for contraception
Most ancient contraceptives are, of course, a cross between a horror movie and a Benny Hill show. Either it’s not clear how it combined with sex at all, or it’s very stupid and ridiculous. The ancient Greeks were no exception.
In general, contraception in marriage was generally not very welcome, because the main goal of a decent Greek citizen was to strengthen and increase his family. However, sex outside of marriage in Ancient Greece happened all the time (we’ll talk about public orgies below), so contraception was still relevant.
Men were asked to eat pomegranates and dates before sex to reduce fertility. Greek doctors advised women to do something more interesting! That’s what Dr. Soranus’ advice sounded like: “After copulation, a woman should hold her breath, put her body back, because this way the seed will not penetrate inside, and then quickly sit down and sneeze.”
That’s how we imagine bacchantes sneezing at orgies!
By the way, we have collected no less wild advice from medieval doctors here:
7 ridiculous theories of ancient scientists about sex
Kissing wives is a disgrace!
Another curious tradition concerned kissing. Actually, kissing on the lips with friends as a greeting was very popular. So the Soviet leaders adopted this tradition from the ancient Greeks.
However, kissing women, and even more so wives, in public was considered the height of indecency. A man who allowed himself to do this was considered a weak henpecked man, unable to control his passion.
The only time apart from bed when the Greeks did kiss their wives was when they returned home to check if the spouse was drunk alone. We’re serious right now. That is, publicly kissing his wife meant publicly accusing her of alcoholism!
State prostitution
Prostitution in all its forms (including same-sex) was very widespread and strongly encouraged. It was believed that it helps to defuse accumulated aggression and stupidity among young Greeks, and helps older citizens to culturally brighten up their leisure time.
It was so common that there were even state-owned brothels. As a rule, the rates there were lower than those of private street prostitutes. However, for rich and noble citizens, government institutions offered a special service โ an escort girl who not only delighted the body, but also conducted conversations and accompanied the client to various events. The Greek version of the geisha. She signed an individual contract, and the number of her lovers was limited.
Another curious tradition concerned kissing. Actually, kissing on the lips with friends as a greeting was very popular. So the Soviet leaders adopted this tradition from the ancient Greeks.
However, kissing women, and even more so wives, in public was considered the height of indecency. A man who allowed himself to do this was considered a weak henpecked man, unable to control his passion.
The only time apart from bed when the Greeks did kiss their wives was when they returned home to check if the spouse was drunk alone. We’re serious right now. That is, publicly kissing his wife meant publicly accusing her of alcoholism!
State prostitution
Prostitution in all its forms (including same-sex) was very widespread and strongly encouraged. It was believed that it helps to defuse accumulated aggression and stupidity among young Greeks, and helps older citizens to culturally brighten up their leisure time.
It was so common that there were even state-owned brothels. As a rule, the rates there were lower than those of private street prostitutes. However, for rich and noble citizens, government institutions offered a special service โ an escort girl who not only delighted the body, but also conducted conversations and accompanied the client to various events. The Greek version of the geisha. She signed an individual contract, and the number of her lovers was limited.
However, do not confuse escort girls with hetaerae. Hetaerae are a special higher level of the priestess of love. Now we would just call them socialites. Hetaerae chose their patrons out of love and led an active social life. These women were allowed to do things that were considered unthinkable for Greek wives, who in fact could not even appear in the city unaccompanied.
Penises at the entrance to the house
Another funny Greek tradition is the complete lack of embarrassment about the image of the genitals and the act of love itself. The penis, a symbol of fertility, was often depicted at the entrance to the house and was supposed to attract good luck. It is curious that such a tradition still exists in Bhutan.
Greek statues also did not suffer from a lack of anatomical details. Moreover, they were not nobly white marble, as they are shown in the museum, but painted in every detail! A gallery of what the antique statues actually looked like.
Holiday orgies
There is nothing better than a good urban orgy in honor of the holiday, the Greeks believed. One of the main holidays of the season was Dionysia, a festival in honor of the god of wine and fertility Dionysus.
To honor God, a solemn procession was held, a pomp (that’s where the expression “to spend with great pomp” came from), during which young virgins carried offerings in the form of jugs of wine and phallic-shaped loaves, but the young men simply carried giant phalluses without any equivocation. Then the wine was drunk, the bread was eaten, and the phalluses were not left idle either.
Symposiums were considered another interesting way to celebrate an event or just chat. Now you will always smile inwardly when all sorts of serious scientists say they are going to a symposium. For the ancient Greeks, this word meant a noble drinking party, when everyone was reclining around tables with wine and treats. Hetaerae, as well as escort girls, were also present, and one can guess how the matter ended.
The tradition of dressing the bride as a boy
And this tradition was practiced in Ancient Sparta. The locals were so harsh that they shaved the bride’s head and dressed her in men’s clothes before handing her over to the groom during the wedding.
Researchers believe that in this way it was somehow more familiar for the groom to approach his new and unusual marital duty.
Rape was not considered a crime
To be honest, in Greek mythology, women were abducted and raped literally on every corner. Therefore, in real life, they weren’t particularly worried about this either. Well, yes, someone couldn’t contain his passion, he became like, one might say, the great Zeus.
It’s another matter if a man attempted (even, perhaps, with the full consent of the woman) to kill someone’s wife. Adultery was the greatest evil and was punished very severely, up to the execution of the criminal.
Thus, the only way for a woman to protect herself from attacks was marriage. Well, or relax and, as they say, enjoy it as a priestess of love.