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Pompeii – A City with a Sex Party |
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Written by fiona patten
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Monday, 20 July 2009 14:58 |
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On the weekend I visited the Melbourne museum to see the " Day in Pompeii" exhibition.
I was struck by the obvious sophistication of a society that existed nearly 2000 years ago. Their art and day-to-day utensils were beautiful and surprisingly modern. They even had running water in private homes.
The city’s most revered goddess was Venus. Bacchus was another favourite as was the goddess Minerva who had a very impressive CV. She was the "virgin for the troops" and goddess for poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, and the inventor of music. As far as religion goes that seems like a pretty good mix.
Of course what interested me most was their attitude to sex and sexuality. The Pomepians seemed, in the main, to have a very relaxed and healthy attitude to sex and even censorship. The idea of obscenity did not seem to exist in Pompeii and going by the mosaics in private homes and public buildings, sex was a very important part of their lives.
It is estimated that there were about 25 brothels in Pompeii catering for a population of 20,000. There is evidence that some even catered for women. This is found in the price lists that were written on walls outside. For example “Maritimus licks your vulva for 4 As”(about the cost of 2 loaves of bread)
The mosaics in the public bathhouses and private homes featured men and women enjoying sex. Threesomes, oral sex and even the cowgirl position were explicitly detailed. These images would actually be illegal in Queensland today! There is some dispute about why public bathhouses had such explicit imagery on the walls. Some say it was so you would remember where you left your clothes but others suggest that they were just “joyful scenes” to enhance the pleasure of bathing.
It seems incredible that what was acceptable 2000 years ago in Italy is now illegal in parts of Australia!
It was extraordinary to read about 2000 year old graffiti. The Pompeii graffiti was modern day. Some of it called on citizens to vote for a particular person, others said things like Brutus was here or Rufus Loves Corneilia. There was a lot of sexually explicit graffiti as well written by obviously proud fellows such “Apelles Mus and his brother Dexter each pleasurably had sex with two girls twice here.”
Pompeii certainly makes us look uptight and sexually boring. When did we, as a society, lose this joy of sex and why?
Let’s hope the Australian Sex Party can help bring it back.
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