Ancient erotica

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)

Current revision

"While preparations were being made, the damsel sat in a room looking up at a certain painting, in which was represented how Jove is said once to have sent a golden shower into the bosom of Danaë." --Terence's Eunuch, see A painting of Danaë described by Terence in his play 'Eunuchus'

A Cognocenti contemplating ye Beauties of ye Antique (1801) by James Gillray

Related e

Wikipedia
Wiktionary
Shop

Featured:

Rhombicuboctahedron by Leonardo da Vinci

Ancient erotica is erotica (both ancient literature and ancient art) from ancient history, roughly from about 5th millennium BC until 5th century. It was preceded by prehistoric erotica.

1 Overview
2 West
3 East
4 South America
5 Reference
6 See also

[edit]

Overview

The ancient Greeks painted sexual scenes on their ceramics, many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of same-sex relations and pederasty, and there are numerous sexually explicit paintings on the walls of ruined Roman buildings in Pompeii. The Moche of Peru in South America are another ancient people that sculpted explicit scenes of sex into their pottery.

The Milesian tales are the earliest instances of erotic literature in the Western world. They directly influenced Apuleius's The Golden Ass, Petronius's Satyricon in antiquity. They were mentioned in Traitté de l'origine des romans. Milesian saucy and disreputable heroes and spicy, fast-paced anecdote resurfaced in the medieval fabliaux. Chaucer's The Miller's Tale is in the Milesian tradition, as are some of the saltier tales in Boccaccio's Decameron or the Heptameron of Marguerite of Navarre and the later genre of the picaresque novel.

Erotic literature from the Ancient World includes the Kama Sutra, Song of Songs from the Old Testament and the Roman Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter.

[edit]

West

[edit]

Precursors: prehistoric erotica

prehistoric erotica

Among the oldest surviving examples of erotic depictions are Paleolithic cave paintings and carvings, but many cultures have created erotic art. Some of the more common images are of animals, hunting scenes and depictions of human genitalia (thought to be fertility symbols). Nude human beings with exaggerated sexual characteristics are depicted in some Paleolithic paintings and artifacts (e.g. Venus figurines).

[edit]

Middle East

Middle East, Turin Erotic Papyrus, sexuality in Mesopotamia, Erotic art at the Israel Museum

[edit]

The Graeco-Roman world

Graeco-Roman

The erotica of the Graeco-Roman world is subdivided in Greek erotica and Roman erotica. Examples of what Kenneth Clark termed studies in ideal form from are La Parisienne [1], Venus Anadyomene [2], Venus Kallipygos [3] and the Barberini Faun [4].

[edit]

Minoan erotica

La Parisienne, Minoan civilization

[edit]

Greek erotica

Greek erotica, Homosexuality in ancient Greece, erotica, Greece, pederasty, Sotadic zone, male prostitution in the arts, Sappho

The ancient Greeks often painted sexual scenes on their ceramics, many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of same-sex relations and pederasty. A famous heterosexual example is the orgy scene on an Attic cup, attributed to Skythes [5], housed at the Louvre.

[edit]

Roman erotica

Roman erotica, Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum

There are numerous sexually explicit paintings and sculpture from the ruined Roman buildings in Pompeii and Herculaneum but the original purposes of the depictions can vary. On one hand, in the "Villa of the Mysteries", there is a ritual flagellation scene that is clearly associated with a religious cult and this image can be seen as having religious significance rather than sexual. On the other hand, graphic paintings in a brothel advertise sexual services in murals above each door. In Pompeii, phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks were created to aid visitors in finding their way by pointing to the prostitution and entertainment district as well as general decoration. The Romans considered depictions of sex to be decoration in good taste, and indeed the pictures reflect the sexual mores and practices of their culture, as on the Warren Cup. Sex acts that were considered taboo (such as those that defiled the purity of the mouth) were depicted in baths for comic effect. Large phalli were often used near entryways, for the phallus was a good luck charm, and the carvings were common in homes. One of the first objects excavated when the complex was discovered was a marble statue showing the The Satyr and the Goat in sexual congress, considered so obscene that it was not on public display until the year 2000.

[edit]

East

Asian erotica, Taoist sexual practices, Kama Sutra

Indian erotica, Sexuality in India

Japanese erotica, Sexuality in Japan

Chinese erotica, Sexuality in China

One Thousand and One Nights

[edit]

South America

South American erotica

The Moche of Peru are another ancient people that sculpted explicit scenes of sex into their pottery. Their purpose however, was much different than that of other early cultures. The Moche believed that the world of the dead was the exact opposite of the world of the living. Therefore, for funeral offerings, they made vessels showing sex acts such as masturbation, fellatio and anal sex that would not result in offspring. The hope was that in the world of the dead, they would take on their opposite meaning and result in fertility.

[edit]

Reference

Sex Or Symbol: Erotic Images of Greece and Rome

[edit]

+{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
+| style="text-align: left;" |
+"While preparations were being made, the damsel sat in a room looking up at a certain painting, in which was represented how [[Jove]] is said once to have sent a [[golden shower]] into the bosom of [[Danaë]]." --Terence's ''[[Eunuchus|Eunuch]]'', see [[A painting of Danaë described by Terence in his play 'Eunuchus']]
+|}
+[[Image:A Cognocenti contemplating ye Beauties of ye Antique.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|''[[A Cognocenti contemplating ye Beauties of ye Antique]]'' (1801) by James Gillray]]
 {{Template}}
-:''[[antiquity]], [[erotica]], [[erotic art]], [[Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum]], [[Menippean satire]], [[Milesian tale]], [[Ovid]], [[Sexuality in ancient Greece]], [[medieval erotica]], [[Renaissance erotica]]''
+'''Ancient erotica''' is [[erotica]] (both [[ancient literature]] and [[ancient art]]) from [[ancient history]], roughly from about [[5th millennium BC]] until [[5th century]]. It was preceded by [[prehistoric erotica]].
+==Overview==
+The [[ancient Greek]]s painted sexual scenes on their [[ceramics]], many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of same-sex relations and pederasty, and there are numerous sexually explicit paintings on the walls of ruined Roman buildings in [[Pompeii]]. The [[Moche]] of [[Peru]] in [[South America]] are another ancient people that sculpted explicit scenes of sex into their pottery.
-Among the oldest surviving examples of erotic depictions are [[Paleolithic]] cave paintings and carvings, but many cultures have created erotic art. The ancient [[Greeks|Greek]]s painted sexual scenes on their ceramics, many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of same-sex relations and pederasty, and there are numerous sexually explicit paintings on the walls of ruined Roman buildings in [[Pompeii]]. The [[Moche]] of [[Peru]] in [[South America]] are another ancient people that sculpted explicit scenes of sex into their pottery.
+The [[Milesian tales]] are the earliest instances of [[erotic literature]] in the Western world. They directly influenced [[Apuleius]]'s ''[[The Golden Ass]]'', [[Petronius]]'s ''[[Satyricon]]'' in antiquity. They were mentioned in ''[[Traitté de l'origine des romans]]''. Milesian saucy and disreputable heroes and spicy, fast-paced anecdote resurfaced in the medieval ''[[fabliau]]x''. [[Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Miller's Tale]]'' is in the Milesian tradition, as are some of the saltier tales in [[Giovanni Boccaccio|Boccaccio]]'s ''[[The Decameron|Decameron]]'' or the ''[[Heptameron]]'' of [[Marguerite of Navarre]] and the later genre of the [[picaresque novel]].
-The [[Milesian tales]] are the earliest instances of [[erotic literature]] in the Western world. They directly influenced [[Apuleius]]' ''[[The Golden Ass]]'', [[Petronius]]' ''[[Satyricon]]'' in antiquity. They were mentioned in ''[[Traitté de l'origine des romans]]''. Milesian saucy and disreputable heroes and spicy, fast-paced anecdote resurfaced in the medieval ''[[fabliau]]x''. [[Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Miller's Tale]]'' is in the Milesian tradition, as are some of the saltier tales in [[Giovanni Boccaccio|Boccaccio]]'s ''[[The Decameron|Decameron]]'' or the ''[[Heptameron]]'' of [[Marguerite of Navarre]] and the later genre of the [[picaresque novel]].
+[[Erotic literature]] from the Ancient World includes the [[Kama Sutra]], [[Song of Songs]] from the [[Old Testament]] and the Roman ''[[Satyricon]]'' of [[Petronius Arbiter]].
 ==West==
 ===Precursors: prehistoric erotica===
 :''[[prehistoric erotica]]''
-Among the oldest surviving examples of erotic depictions are [[Paleolithic]] [[cave painting]]s and carvings, but many cultures have created erotic art. Some of the more common images are of animals, hunting scenes and depictions of human [[genitalia]] (thought to be fertility symbols). Nude human beings with exaggerated sexual characteristics are depicted in some Paleolithic paintings and artifacts (e.g. [[Venus figurines]]). Recently discovered cave art at [[Creswell Crags]] in England, thought to be more than 12,000 years old, includes some symbols that may be stylized versions of female genitalia. However there is no indication that these were made for erotic stimulation, so it is far more likely that these were objects used in religious rituals. Archaeologists in Germany reported in April 2005 that they had found what they believe is a 7,200-year-old scene depicting a male figurine bending over a female figurine in a manner suggestive of sexual intercourse. The male figure has been named Adonis von Zschernitz. However, it is not certain that the purpose of these artifacts was individual [[sexual arousal]]. Instead, the images may have had a spiritual significance and are probably connected with [[fertility]] rituals.
+Among the oldest surviving examples of erotic depictions are [[Paleolithic]] [[cave painting]]s and carvings, but many cultures have created erotic art. Some of the more common images are of animals, hunting scenes and depictions of human [[genitalia]] (thought to be fertility symbols). Nude human beings with exaggerated sexual characteristics are depicted in some Paleolithic paintings and artifacts (e.g. [[Venus figurines]]).
-===Egypt===
+===Middle East===
-:''[[Turin Erotic Papyrus]], [[sexuality in Mesopotamia]]''
+:''[[Middle East]], [[Turin Erotic Papyrus]], [[sexuality in Mesopotamia]], [[Erotic art at the Israel Museum ]]''
 ===The Graeco-Roman world===
-Studies in ideal form from [[ancient erotica]]: [[La Parisienne]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/181094004/la-parisienne-also-known-as-the-minoan-lady-is-a], [[Venus Anadyomene]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/182733492/venus-anadyomene-venus-rising-from-the-sea-was], [[Venus Kallipygos]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/182740923/venus-kallipygos-the-callipygian-venus-or-venus] and the [[Barberini Faun]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/182742436/barberini-faun-or-drunken-satyr-is-located-in-the]
+:''[[Graeco-Roman]]''
+The erotica of the Graeco-Roman world is subdivided in [[Greek erotica]] and [[Roman erotica]]. Examples of what [[Kenneth Clark]] termed studies in ideal form from are [[La Parisienne]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/181094004/la-parisienne-also-known-as-the-minoan-lady-is-a], [[Venus Anadyomene]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/182733492/venus-anadyomene-venus-rising-from-the-sea-was], [[Venus Kallipygos]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/182740923/venus-kallipygos-the-callipygian-venus-or-venus] and the [[Barberini Faun]][http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/182742436/barberini-faun-or-drunken-satyr-is-located-in-the].
 ====Minoan erotica====
-:''[[La Parisienne]]''
+:''[[La Parisienne]], [[Minoan civilization]]''
 ====Greek erotica====
-:''[[Greek erotica]], [[Homosexuality in ancient Greece]], [[erotica]], [[Greece]], [[pederasty]], [[Sotadic zone]], [[male prostitution in the arts]]''
+:''[[Greek erotica]], [[Homosexuality in ancient Greece]], [[erotica]], [[Greece]], [[pederasty]], [[Sotadic zone]], [[male prostitution in the arts]], [[Sappho]]''
-The [[ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]] often painted sexual scenes on their [[Ceramic art|ceramics]], many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of [[homosexuality|same-sex relations]] and [[pederasty]]. Greek art often portrays sexual activity, but it is impossible to distinguish between what to them was illegal or immoral since the ancient Greeks did not have a concept of pornography. Their art simply reflects scenes from daily life, some more sexual than others. Carved [[phallus|phalli]] can be seen in places of worship such as the temple of [[Dionysus]] on [[Delos]], while a common household item and protective charm was the [[herma|herm]], a statue consisting of a head on a square plinth with a prominent phallus on the front. The Greek male ideal had a [[small penis]], an aesthetic the Romans later adopted. The Greeks also created the first well-known instance of [[lesbianism in erotica|lesbian eroticism]] in the West, with [[Sappho]]'s ''[[Hymn to Aphrodite]]'' and other [[homoeroticism|homoerotic]] works.
+The [[ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]] often painted sexual scenes on their [[Ceramic art|ceramics]], many of them famous for being some of the earliest depictions of [[homosexuality|same-sex relations]] and [[pederasty]]. A famous heterosexual example is the
-=====Baubo=====
+[[orgy scene]] on an [[Attic cup]], attributed to [[Skythes]] [http://jahsonic.tumblr.com/post/188632908/orgy-scene-attic-cup-attributed-to-skythes-via], housed at the [[Louvre]].
-:''[[Baubo]]''
-'''Baubo''' is an [[old woman]] in [[Greek mythology]] who [[jested]] with [[Demeter]] when she was mourning the loss of her daughter [[Persephone]].
-In his ''[[Greek Myths]]'', [[Robert Graves]] writes that Demeter (in disguise) was the guest of King Celeus in [[Eleusis]].  The lame daughter of the King, [[Iambe]], "tried to console Demeter with comically [[lascivious]] verses, and a [[dry nurse]], old Baubo, persuaded her to drink barley-water by a jest: she groaned as if in great travail and, unexpectedly, produced from beneath her skirt Demeter's own son [[Iacchus]], who leapt into his mother's arms and kissed her." Graves writes, "Iambe and Baubo personify the obscene songs, in [[iamb]]ic metre, which were sung to relieve emotional tension at the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]]; but Iambe, Demeter, and Baubo form the familiar [[Triad (relationship)|triad]] of [[maiden]], [[nymph]], and [[crone]]. Old nurses in Greek myth nearly always stand for the goddess as crone."
 ====Roman erotica====
-:''[[vulgar Latin]], [[Latin profanity]], [[Sexuality in ancient Rome]], [[Roman_erotica#Roman_erotica|Roman erotica]]''
+:''[[Roman erotica]], [[Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum]]''
-There are numerous sexually explicit paintings and sculpture from the ruined Roman buildings in [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]] but the original purposes of the depictions can vary. On one hand, in the "[[Villa of the Mysteries]]", there is a ritual flagellation scene that is clearly associated with a religious cult and this image can be seen as having religious significance rather than sexual. On the other hand, graphic paintings in a brothel advertise sexual services in murals above each door. In Pompeii, phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks were created to aid visitors in finding their way by pointing to the prostitution and entertainment district as well as general decoration. The Romans considered depictions of sex to be decoration in good taste, and indeed the pictures reflect the sexual mores and practices of their culture, as on the [[Warren Cup]]. Sex acts that were considered [[taboo]] (such as those that defiled the purity of the mouth) were depicted in [[thermae|baths]] for comic effect. Large phalli were often used near entryways, for the phallus was a good luck charm, and the carvings were common in homes. One of the first objects excavated when the complex was discovered was a [[marble]] statue showing the god [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] having sex with a [[goat]], a detailed depiction of [[bestiality]] considered so obscene that it was not on public display until the year [[2000]] and remains in the [[Secret Museum, Naples]], see [[Pompeian Pan]].
+There are numerous sexually explicit paintings and sculpture from the ruined Roman buildings in [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]] but the original purposes of the depictions can vary. On one hand, in the "[[Villa of the Mysteries]]", there is a ritual flagellation scene that is clearly associated with a religious cult and this image can be seen as having religious significance rather than sexual. On the other hand, graphic paintings in a brothel advertise sexual services in murals above each door. In Pompeii, phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks were created to aid visitors in finding their way by pointing to the prostitution and entertainment district as well as general decoration. The Romans considered depictions of sex to be decoration in good taste, and indeed the pictures reflect the sexual mores and practices of their culture, as on the [[Warren Cup]]. Sex acts that were considered [[taboo]] (such as those that defiled the purity of the mouth) were depicted in [[thermae|baths]] for comic effect. Large phalli were often used near entryways, for the phallus was a good luck charm, and the carvings were common in homes. One of the first objects excavated when the complex was discovered was a [[marble]] statue showing the ''[[The Satyr and the Goat]]'' in [[sexual congress]], considered so obscene that it was not on public display until the year [[2000]].
-=====Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum=====
-'''Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum''' was discovered in the ancient cities around the bay of Naples (particularly of [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]]) after extensive [[excavation]]s began in the [[18th century]]. The city was found to be full of [[erotic art]] and [[fresco]]es, symbols, and inscriptions regarded by its excavators as [[pornography|pornographic]]. Even many recovered household items had a sexual theme. The ubiquity of such imagery and items indicates that the [[sexual mores]] of the [[Culture of ancient Rome|ancient Roman culture]] of the time were much more liberal than most present-day cultures, although much of what might seem to us to be erotic imagery (eg oversized [[phallus]]es) was in fact [[fertility]]-imagery.  This [[culture shock|clash of cultures]] led to an unknown number of discoveries being hidden away again. For example, a [[wall fresco]] which depicted [[Priapus]], the ancient god of sex and fertility, with his extremely enlarged [[penis]], was covered with plaster (and, as [[Karl Schefold]] explains (p. 134), even the older reproduction below was locked away "out of prudishness" and only opened on request) and only rediscovered in [[1998]] due to rainfall. [[The Times]] reported in 2006 "Erotic frescoes put Pompeii brothel on the tourist map".
-=====Fascinum=====
-:''[[fascinum]], [[Fescennine Verses]]''
-A '''fascinum''' in [[Ancient Rome]] was a [[phallus]]-shaped [[amulet]] worn around the necks (often of children), to ward off the [[evil eye]] or to bring fertility.  The word is ultimately the origin of the English verb ''to [[fascinate]]''.
-=====Bacchanalia=====
-:''[[Bacchanalia]]''
-The '''bacchanalia''' were [[wild]] and [[mystic]] [[festival]]s of the [[Roman mythology|Roman]] and Greek god [[Dionysus|Bacchus]]. The bacchanalia were originally held in [[secret]] and [[women only|only attended by women]]. Later, admission to the rites was extended to men and celebrations took place five times a month. The term bacchanalia has become a byword for any drunken [[orgy]].
-=====Cleopatra and Messalina=====
-:''[[Cleopatra]], [[Messalina]]''
-[[Cleopatra]], [[Messalina]] represent the female stereotype of the [[sexually insatiable woman]] which gained popularity in the Middle Ages and is still present in [[contemporary culture]].
-=====Literature=====
-The major writers of [[erotica]] at Rome were [[Catullus]], [[Propertius]], and [[Ovid]].
-Novels by [[Ovid]], [[Apuleius]], [[Petronius]]
-Poetry by [[Juvenal]], [[Martial]], [[Catullus]], [[Propertius]], [[Tibullus]]
-Plays by [[Plautus]] and [[Terrence]], both influenced by [[Menander]]
-======Ars Amatoria======
-:''[[Ars Amatoria]]''
-'''''Ars Amatoria''''' ("The Art of Love") is a series of three books by the Roman poet [[Ovid]]. Written in [[verse]], their guiding theme is the art of [[seduction]]. The first two, written for men about 1 BC to AD 1, deal with 'winning women's hearts' and 'keeping the loved one', respectively. The third, addressed to women telling them how to best [[attract]] men, was written somewhat later.
-======Metamorphoses======
-:''[[Metamorphoses]]''
-The '''''Metamorphoses''''' by the [[Roman poet]] [[Ovid]] is a [[Narrative poetry|narrative poem]] in fifteen books that describes the [[Creation myth|creation]] and [[history of the world]]. Completed in 8 AD, it has remained one of the most popular works of [[mythology]], being the Classical work best known to medieval writers and thus having a great deal of influence on [[medieval poetry]].
-======The Golden Ass======
-:''[[The Golden Ass]]''
-The '''''Metamorphoses''''' of [[Apuleius|Lucius Apuleius]], which according to [[Augustine of Hippo|St. Augustine]] was referred to as  '''''The Golden Ass''''' (''Asinus aureus'') by [[Apuleius]], is the only [[Latin novel]] to survive in its entirety.
-======Priapeia======
-The '''''Priapeia''''' is a collection of [[poem]]s (ninety five in number) in various meters on the subject of [[Priapus]]. It was compiled from literary works and inscriptions on images of the god by an [[unknown]] editor, who composed the introductory [[epigram]]. From their style and versification it is evident that the poems belong to the best period of [[Latin literature]].
-===Literature===
-:''[[Ars Amatoria]], [[One Thousand and One Nights]], [[Dialogue of the Courtesans]], [[biblical eroticism]] ''
-[[Erotic literature]] from the Ancient World includes the [[Song of Songs]] from the [[Old Testament]] and the Roman ''[[Satyricon]]'' of [[Petronius Arbiter]].
-====Lucian====
-:''[[Dialogues of the Courtesans]]''
-[[Lucian]]'s '''''Dialogues of the Heterae''''' (also known as '''Mimes of the Courtesans''', '''Hetairikoi Dialogoi''' and  '''Dialogue of the Courtesans''') is a series fifteen brief prose dialogues of [[courtesan]]s with friends clients and other [[courtesan]]s. The were written around 160 AD and first printed in  [[1494]].
-====Milesian tales====
-:''[[Milesian tales]]''
-The '''Milesian tales''' are the earliest instances of [[erotic literature]] in the Western world. They directly influenced [[Apuleius]]' ''[[The Golden Ass]]'', [[Petronius]]' ''[[Satyricon]]'' in antiquity. They were mentioned in ''[[Traitté de l'origine des romans]]''. Aristidean saucy and disreputable heroes and spicy, fast-paced anecdote resurfaced in the medieval ''[[fabliau]]x''. [[Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Miller's Tale]]'' is in Aristides' tradition, as are some of the saltier tales in [[Giovanni Boccaccio|Boccaccio]]'s ''[[The Decameron|Decameron]]'' or the ''[[Heptameron]]'' of [[Marguerite of Navarre]] and the later genre of the [[picaresque novel]].
-==== Sex manuals ====
-:''[[sex manual]]''
-The oldest sex manuals come from Asia. The oldest sex manual in the world is the Chinese 'Handbooks of Sex' written 5,000 years ago by Emperor Huang-Ti (2697-2598 B.C.) It is also believed that the 'Tao of Love Coupling' originated from Huang-ti. A book entitled Su-Nui Ching, became the sexual bible and medical guidebook for many generations.
-The ''[[Kama Sutra]]'' of [[Vatsyayana]], believed to have been written in the 1st to 6th centuries, has a notorious reputation as a sex manual, although only a small part of its text is devoted to sex.
-In the Graeco-Roman area, a sex manual was written by [[Philaenis of Samos]], possibly a courtesan ([[hetaira]]) of the Hellenistic period (3rd - 1st century BC). Preserved by a series of fragmentary papyruses which attest its popularity, it served as a source of inspiration for [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Ars Amatoria]]'', written around 3 BC, which is partially a sex manual, and partially a burlesque on the art of love.
 ===See also===
-*[[sexuality in ancient Greece]]
+*[[Sexuality in ancient Greece]]
-*[[sexuality in ancient Rome]]''
+*[[Sexuality in ancient Rome]]''
+*[[Biblical eroticism]]
+*[[Medieval erotica]]
+*[[Renaissance erotica]]
 ==East==
 :''[[Asian erotica]], [[Taoist sexual practices]], [[Kama Sutra]]''
 :''[[Japanese erotica]], [[Sexuality in Japan]]''
 :''[[Chinese erotica]], [[Sexuality in China]]''
-Additionally, there has been a long tradition of erotic painting among the Eastern cultures. In [[Japan]], for example, [[shunga]] appeared in the 13th century and continued to grow in popularity until the late 19th century when photography was invented. Similarly, the erotic art of [[China]] reached its popular peak during the latter part of the [[Ming Dynasty]]. In [[India]], the famous [[Kama Sutra]] is an ancient sex manual that is still popularly read throughout the world.
+:''[[One Thousand and One Nights]]''
-There has been a long tradition of erotic painting in the East. [[Japan]], [[China]], [[History of India|India]], [[Persian Empire|Persia]] and other lands produced copious quantities of art celebrating the human faculty of love. The works depict love between men and women as well as same-sex love. One of the most famous ancient [[sex manual]]s was the ''[[Kama Sutra]]'', written by [[Vātsyāyana]] in India during the first few centuries CE.
-In Japan, the erotic art found its greatest flowering in the medium of the [[woodblock printing|woodblock prints]]. The style is known as ''[[shunga]]'' and some of its classic practitioners (e.g. [[Suzuki Harunobu|Harunobu]], [[Utamaro]]) produced a large number of works. Painted hand scrolls were also very popular. Shunga appeared in the 13th century and continued to grow in popularity despite occasional attempts to suppress them, the first of which was a ban on erotic books known as ''kōshokubon'' issued by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in [[Kyōhō]] 7 (1722).  Shunga only ceased to be produced in the 19th century when photography was invented.
-The Chinese tradition of the erotic was also extensive, with examples of the art dating back as far as the [[Yuan Dynasty]] (1271–1368). The erotic art of China reached its peak during the latter part of the [[Ming Dynasty]] (1368–1644).
-In both China and Japan, eroticism played a prominent role in the development of the novel. ''[[The Tale of Genji]]'', the work by an [[Heian period|11th-century Japanese]] noblewoman that is often called “the world’s first novel,” traces the many affairs of its hero in discreet but carnal language. From [[Ming Dynasty|16th-century China]], the still more explicit novel ''[[The Plum in the Golden Vase]]'' has been called one of the [[Four Great Classical Novels|four great classical novels]] of Chinese literature. ''The Tale of Genji'' has been celebrated in Japan since it was written, but  ''The Plum in the Golden Vase'' was suppressed as pornography for much of its history, and replaced on the list of four classics.
 ==South America==
+:''[[South American erotica]]''
 The [[Moche]] of [[Peru]] are another ancient people that sculpted explicit scenes of sex into their [[pottery]]. Their purpose however, was much different than that of other early cultures. The Moche believed that the world of the dead was the exact opposite of the world of the living. Therefore, for [[funeral]] offerings, they made [[vessel]]s showing sex acts such as [[masturbation]], [[fellatio]] and [[anal sex]] that would not result in offspring. The hope was that in the world of the dead, they would take on their opposite meaning and result in fertility.
+==Reference==
+*''[[Sex Or Symbol: Erotic Images of Greece and Rome]]''
+==See also==
+*[[Priape dit "de Rivery"]]
+*[[Ancient sex manual]]
+*[[Antiquity]]
+*[[Erotica]]
+*[[Erotic art]]
+*[[Erotica timeline]]
 {{GFDL}}

Ancient erotica

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Current revision

Contents

Overview

West

Precursors: prehistoric erotica

Middle East

The Graeco-Roman world

Minoan erotica

Greek erotica

Roman erotica

See also

East

South America

Reference

See also

Views

Personal tools

Search

Metas

Navigation