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The oldest image we have of two people having intercourse comes from 11,000 years ago. Currently held in the British Museum, the Ain Sakhri Lovers were discovered in a cave near Bethlehem. The 10cm tall statue is thought to come from the Natufian Culture of the ancient middle east. While at first it merely looks like a crude piece of carving it is in fact a clever work of art. Priapus became associated with the rustic gods of Greece such as Pan and the satyrs. While he shared their lustful nature and connection to agriculture, his origins were likely in Anatolia and he was never as widely recognized in Greece itself as the older rural deities. Pompeii was a cosmopolitan port. From the graffiti found in the ruins of the town we know that visitors were speaking a variety of languages from Latin to Greek to Oscan and maybe Hebrew. With potential language barriers popping up how then was a prostitute to earn her living?
Worship of Priapus was most noteworthy in the areas surrounding the Hellespont, particularly the city of Lampsacus. The worship of Priapus seems to have originated east of ancient Greece in the general region surrounding the Hellespont, a narrow strait now known by the European name the Dardanelles. Reverence of phallic deities was widespread in the ancient world and the influence of neighboring phallic gods on the worship of the ithyphallic deity Priapus may have contributed to the growth of the cult. Indeed, Priapus' non-Greek origin is suggested in art and sculpture by the Persian cap that he often wears in artistic depictions. An elaboration on a scholium on Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica i. Kereny remarks of the jealousy of Hera in this case, "a cheap theme, and certainly not an ancient one" (Kerenyi 1951, p.176).In her 2006 paper on the role of the phallus and its symbolism in Roman Italy, Claudia Mosernoted that "Priapus and his giant phallus represent three different kinds of prosperity: growth, represented by his enormous phallus; affluence, represented by the bag of coins which he holds and weighs; fertility, symbolized by the basket of fruit at his feet. The combination of money and the large member allowed the viewer to link the two, to equate the extensive quantity of each, an association evoked in the juxtaposition of the phallus and the bag of coins on the scale."
Pompeii once again offers a great view of how sex was seen in the ancient world. Paintings and statues of Priapus are found all over the city. One famous fresco of Priapus shows him weighing his penis against a bag of gold, perhaps hinting at a role in business as well. Outside his native Asia Minor, the cult of Priapus often had strong humorous connotations – especially among city dwellers. In the countryside, he was taken a bit more seriously, even outside Asia Minor.
In Ovid's Fasti, [7] the nymph Lotis fell into a drunk slumber along with the rest of the gods and goddesses after a great feast, and Priapus used this opportunity to advance upon her. With stealth he approached but before he could ensnare her in a loving embrace, Silenus' donkey alerted the party of his presence with cacophonous braying. Lotis awoke, and a startled Priapus ran away sheepishly; thereafter Priapus slaughtered the donkey for spoiling his opportunity. Ovid's anecdote served to explain why donkeys were sacrificed to Priapus in the city of Lampsacus. [8] Dionysus eventually placed the dead ass in heaven as one of two stars referred to as "The Asses." [9] Hera condemned the child to be ugly and have an impure mind. Worse yet, she cursed him to never be able to act upon the dirty desires that dominated his thoughts. The fresco of Mars and Venus, located in the tablinum of the House of Mars and Venus, is believed to model the proper family roles of husband and wife for those entering the home. Mars and Venus, a popular couple from mythology, were represented in many house's tablinum for this reason. [9] Venus has appeared in Pompeian artwork at least 197 times, [10] the majority of these depictions located in a home's reception area where a guest would not need an invitation to enter, although she also appears on tavern signs and political banners. [11] Previous scholarship assumed Venus would be more common in cubicula, small inclosed rooms that may function as a bedroom, due to her association with love and sex. Recent studies have shown this is not the case and that Venus is more commonly portrayed in large common rooms. [10] Approximately one third of artwork featuring Venus represents some sort of love scene. [12] There are two Venus types found almost exclusively in Pompeii, Venus Pompeiana ("Venus of Pompeii") and Venus Pescatrice ("Venus the Fisher-woman"). Venus Pompeiana is depicted standing rigidly, usually trapped with a mantle and holding her right arm across her chest. [12] She is most commonly depicted in places that would be seen by many people, possible to demonstrate a house's patron goddess or for protection as this form of Venus has special religious and ritual significance to Pompeii. Venus Pescatrice is typically shown sitting down, holding a fishing rod and is always semi-naked. [10] The depictions of Venus Pescatrice are all similar in strucuter, suggesting they derive from the same source, though this source has not been found. [10]
Anyone who has had much exposure to ancient Roman culture will know that the phallus and phallic symbols are found everywhere and in the most unlikely contexts. As well as being a symbol of male power, fertility and sexuality, they are used to invoke good fortune. They are carved into masonry, on horses’ harness fittings, from Pompeii we have bizarre oil lamps in the shape of winged phalluses, and they were a popular talisman for men’s jewellery. (Modern pendants descended from these talismans have a different form - when the pendants were later banned for being obscene, the phallus was replaced with a shark’s tooth.) There was also a kind of statue called a herm where male genitalia were carved half way up a column with a bust or head on top. As well the phallic symbols carved into masonry at Vindolanda and along Hadrian’s Wall, a Priapus statue was unearthed at Vindolanda. Priapus is a fertility god; a huge erect phallus is (literally) his outstanding characteristic. Our statue is one of only two found in Roman Britain so far. The Marcus Aurelius Equestrian Monument is an antique Roman equestrian statue located on Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. It is 4.24 m (13.9 ft) tall and constructed of bronze. The Warren Cup, bought by the British Museum in 1999, is one of the finest pieces of Roman silver work in existence. It is also one of the most pornographic. Usually dated to the 1st century after the birth of Christ, the silver drinking vessel shows four figures in a heavily decorated room surrounded by musical instruments. These signs of luxury are not what catch the eye, however. J. Gordon Melton (1996, 5th ed.). Encyclopedia of American Religions (Detroit, Mich.: Gale) ISBN 0-8103-7714-4 p. 952. Romans might lend their wife, sometimes already pregnant, to a childless patron to give him an heir. This was practised throughout the imperial period with the agreement of the wife, and sometimes it would be the wife who actually proposed this. In antiquity, infertility was always seen as the fault of the woman and a wife could be rejected for not producing heirs or only female offspring (c.f. Henry VIII). Repeated failure to conceive would lead to pressure for a divorce in elite families. In cases of divorce the children remained with the father.
The first mention of Priapus was found in the 4th century BC comedically obscene collection of verse called the Priapeia, written in the by Xenarchus. He was originally worshipped by Greek colonists in Lampsacus in Asia Minor but the cult of Priapus spread to mainland Greece and eventually to Italy during the 3rd century BC. Sometimes regarded as the son of Aphrodite and Dionysus or the son of Zeus and Pan, he was often thought of as the father or son of Hermes.
Grant, Michael; Mulas, Antonia (1997). Eros in Pompeii: The Erotic Art Collection of the Museum of Naples. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang. ISBN 978-1556706202. When PJ Harvey sang a song called Sheela Na Gig, some listeners may not have understood what she may have been singing about. The lyrics include lines like: Coronato, Rocco. “The Emergence of Priapism in the Two Gentlemen of Verona”. In Proteus: The Language of Metamorphosis, ed. Carla Dente, George Ferzoco, Miriam Gill and Marina Spunta. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005, chapter 8, 93–101. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica, 4.6.1; Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.31.2; Tibullus, Poems, 1.4.7;The nymph Pomona walled in her garden to keep the lustful rustic gods at bay. Priapus was named among those who tried to breach the walls to reach her. There is a vast range of places to stay near to Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum with all budgets catered for. A beautifully carved sandstone relief which depicts a naked male figure holding a spear stood in front of a horse/donkey has been uncovered during the annual excavations at the Roman fort of Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. His role, however, was less in growth and nourishment than most fertility deities. He took on the role of protector and guardian of people’s gardens.
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