Sex in the Middle Ages. Sexual life in Pompeii.photo Sexual positions: no variety

We are publishing a translation of a fascinating article by Canadian blogger, writer and teacher David Morton about various aspects of sexuality in the European Middle Ages...

Capacious word "fornication"

If it had not been for the Christian Church of the Middle Ages, Sigmund Freud would probably have been left without a job: we adopted many of the basic ideas about sex and morality from those dark times when the vast majority of types of sex were characterized by the short but capacious word “fornication.”

Adultery and fornication were sometimes punishable by death, excommunication and other anathemas. At the same time, the Church often condoned prostitution, understanding that it was evil, but in the living conditions of people in such a rigid moral system, it was a necessary evil...

But it was not only about Christian laws. Marital fidelity was the only reliable way for men of noble origin to be sure that their children were truly theirs.

There is a known case when the French king Philip, having caught his own daughters having connections with some of his vassals, sent two of them to a monastery and killed the third. As for the guilty courtiers, they were executed in a brutal public execution.

In the villages the situation was not so acute: sexual promiscuity was present everywhere. The Church struggled with this, trying to force sinners to enter into legal marriages, and if people did so, it granted forgiveness.

Sexual positions: no variety

The Church also dictated exactly how people should have sex. All positions other than “missionary” were considered a sin and were prohibited.

Oral and anal sex and masturbation were also strictly prohibited - these types of contacts did not lead to the birth of children, which, according to purists, was the only reason for making love. Violators were punished severely: three years of repentance and service to the church for sex in any of the “deviant” positions.

However, some theologians of that time proposed assessing sexual contacts more gently, for example, placing acceptable positions in the following order (as sinfulness increases): 1) missionary, 2) on the side, 3) sitting, 4) standing, 5) from behind.

Only the first position was recognized as godly; the rest were proposed to be considered “morally questionable,” but not sinful. Apparently, the reason for such softness was that members of the nobility, often obese, were unable to have sex in the most sinless position, and the Church could not help but meet the sufferers halfway.

Homosexuality: Death penalty only

The Church's position on homosexuality was firm: under no pretext! Sodomy was characterized as an “unnatural” and “ungodly” activity and was punishable in only one way: the death penalty.

In defining homosexuality, Peter Damian in his work “Gomorrah” listed the following ways of having sex: solitary masturbation, mutual masturbation, intercourse between the thighs and anal sex (the latter, by the way, was considered so unacceptable that many authors tried not to even mention it in their books) .

Saint Thomas Aquinas expanded the list to include any form or type of sex except vaginal sex. He also considered lesbianism to be sodomy.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, it was customary for sodomites to be burned at the stake, hanged, starved to death and tortured, of course, in order to “drive out the demon” and “atone for sin.” However, there is evidence that some members of high society still practiced homosexuality.

For example, it was said about the English king Richard I, nicknamed “Lionheart” for his exceptional courage and military skill, that at the time of meeting his future wife he was in a sexual relationship with his brother.

The king was also accused of “eating from the same plate” with the French King Philip II during his visits to France, and at night “sleeping in the same bed and having passionate love with him.”

Accusations of homosexuality also appeared in one of the most notorious trials in Medieval Europe. We are talking, of course, about the famous trial of the Templars. The powerful order was destroyed by the French king Philip IV the Fair in just a few years 1307-1314.

The Papal Throne also joined the process. Among other things, the templars were accused of sodomy, which allegedly took place during their secret rites. The rituals of the Templars were indeed secret, and we do not know what happened there and, most likely, we will never know.

It cannot be ruled out that among the Templars, despite their numerous vows, there were homosexuals. If only because laws, as we know, exist to be broken. And the powers that be often ignore their own decrees, not to mention those of their close relatives.

Suffice it to say that Edward II, the son of the same Edward I who banned homosexuality in England, did not disdain sodomy, which was known not only to those close to him.

Fashion: Is that a codpiece or are you just really happy to see me?

One of the most popular men's fashion accessories in the Middle Ages was the codpiece, a flap or pouch that was attached to the front of trousers to emphasize masculinity by highlighting the genitals.

The codpiece was usually stuffed with sawdust or fabric and fastened with buttons or tied with braid. As a result, the man's crotch area looked very impressive.

The most fashionable shoes were boots with long and pointed toes, which were also supposed to hint at something equally long in the pants of their owner.

These items of clothing can often be seen in the paintings of Dutch artists of that time. There is a portrait of Henry VIII, one of the leading fashionistas of his era, shown wearing both a codpiece and boots.

Of course, the Church did not recognize this “devilish fashion” and tried in every possible way to prevent its spread. However, its power did not extend to the king of the country and his closest courtiers.

Dildos: a size to suit the sinfulness of desire

There is some evidence that artificial penises were actively used in the Middle Ages. In particular, entries in “books of repentance” - sets of punishments for various sins. These entries were something like this:

« Have you done what some women do with phallus-shaped objects, the size of which corresponds to the sinfulness of their desires? If so, you must repent on all holy holidays for five years!”

Dildos did not have any official name until the Renaissance, so they were designated by the names of objects that had an elongated shape. In particular, the word "dildo" comes from the name of an oblong loaf of dill bread: "dilldough".

Virginity and Chastity: Just Repent

The Middle Ages highly valued virginity, drawing a parallel between the chastity of a common woman and the Virgin Mary. Ideally, a girl should have protected her innocence as her main wealth, but in practice this was rarely achieved: morality was low, and men were rude and persistent (especially in the lower class).

Realizing how difficult it is for a woman to remain chaste in such a society, the Church made repentance and remission of sins possible not only for non-virgin girls, but even for those who gave birth to children.

Titian (Tiziano Vecelio) - Penitent Mary Magdalene

Women who chose this path of “purification” had to repent of their sins, and then atone for them by joining the cult of the Mother of God, that is, devoting the rest of their days to life and service to the monastery.

By the way, many believe that in those days girls wore so-called “chastity belts,” but in fact, these creepy devices were invented (and tried to be used) only in the 19th century.

Prostitution: prosperity

Prostitution flourished in the Middle Ages. In large cities, prostitutes offered their services anonymously, without revealing their real names, and this was considered an honest and completely acceptable profession. We can say that at that time the Church tacitly approved of prostitution, or at least did not try to prevent it.

Oddly enough, commodity-money relations in sexual relations were regarded as a way to prevent adultery (!) and homosexuality, that is, as something that cannot be done without.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “If we prohibit women from selling their bodies, lust will spill out into our cities and destroy society.”

The most privileged prostitutes worked in brothels, fewer offered their services on city streets, and in villages there was often one prostitute for the entire village, and her name was well known to the residents. However, prostitutes were treated with contempt there; they could be beaten, mutilated, or even thrown into prison, accused of vagrancy and debauchery.

Contraception: do what you want

The Church never approved of contraception, as it prevents the birth of children, but most of the church's efforts were aimed at combating “unnatural” sex and homosexuality, so people were left to their own devices in the matter of contraception. Contraception was seen as a minor moral transgression rather than a major sin.

In addition to the most common method of protection by interrupting sexual intercourse, people also used condoms from the intestines or urinary and gall bladders of animals. These condoms have been used many times.

Apparently, their function was not so much to protect against unwanted pregnancy, but to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, in particular, syphilis, which was widespread in Europe.

Women also prepared decoctions and infusions from herbs, which were then placed in the vagina and played the role of spermicides with varying degrees of effectiveness.

Sexual dysfunctions

If a man, for some unknown reason, could not have sex, the Church sent him “private detectives” - experienced village women who examined his “household” and assessed his general health, trying to identify the cause of sexual impotence.

If the penis was deformed or there were other pathologies noticeable to the naked eye, the Church gave permission for divorce due to the husband’s inability to procreate.

Many medieval European doctors were fans of Islamic medicine. Muslim doctors and pharmacists were the first to pay attention to the problem of erectile dysfunction and developed medications, therapies and even a special diet for such patients.

It is well known in our time that the ancient Romans had very liberal views on sexuality. However, when the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were discovered buried under a layer of volcanic ash from Vesuvius in the mid-18th century, the public was not quite ready to discover the juicy details of ancient Roman society, namely the craze for eroticism.

Pompeii had a thriving sex industry with dozens of brothels whose walls were covered in erotic frescoes. Artistic depictions of sex were often found on the walls of bedrooms in rich private homes.

The inhabitants of Pompeii wore phallic-shaped amulets around their necks to ward off evil spirits. And at home, almost each of them had a small collection of sexually themed art.

Oil lamps and other household items of phallic shape were often used in the household.

And the most scandalous discovery was a statue of the Greek god Pan - half man, half goat - copulating with a goat.

The display of all this explicit sexual material caused a lot of embarrassment and awkwardness among the public of the 18th century, so the obscene antiquities were quickly hidden from the public eye, locked in a secret cabinet.

The secret office, or gabinetto segreto, was originally located in the Museum of Herculaneum in Portici. Access to it was carried out exclusively with special written permission from the king. But, as you know, bans only fuel interest, so images of frescoes and copies of banned exhibits were produced inside the office and distributed among the French elite.

After being transferred from Portici to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the collection was briefly available to the public without any restrictions. This continued until King Francis I paid a visit to the museum in 1819, accompanied by his wife and daughter. Hastily sending the family out, the indignant king immediately ordered the collection to be locked in a special room, where only men of “mature age and established moral principles” could see it. Women and children were strictly forbidden to enter there.

Over the next 200 years, the secret museum remained largely closed, opening its doors only a few times for short periods of time. Even when it opened in the sexually revolution-ridden 1960s, it retained the same restrictions on entry. It was only in 2000 that the collection finally became publicly available for both men and women.

IF YOU ARE A PERSON OF MATURE AGE AND AN IMPACTABLE REPUTATION, THEN THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU.

The Archaeological Museum of Naples has a secret cabinet where sexual frescoes, mosaics, sculptures and household items are collected. Collection of the Secret Cabinet, founded in 1819 , contains frescoes, reliefs, slabs with texts and other objects erotic and pornographic character discovered in Pompeii.

Previously, only a narrow circle of people were allowed to view the collection. The office was opened to the public several times, but always for a short time, and the final opening took place only in 2000

Votive items in the Secret Office.

The dry rationality of the aesthetics of classicism did not jibe with many Pompeian finds, especially those made in the city lupanarium. Among the “inconvenient” objects for display were frescoes and inscriptions of Priapea, sculptural scenes of sodomy and bestiality, and phallic-shaped household utensils.

"Priapus with Caduceus"

Scientists were at a loss as to what to do with the Pompeii " pornography "until the issue was resolved in 1819 by the Sicilian king Francesco I , who visited the excavation sites accompanied by his wife and daughter. The monarch was so outraged by what he saw that he demanded that all the “seditious” items be taken to the capital and locked in the Secret Office.

In 1849, the door to the office was blocked with bricks, then access to it was still open to “persons of mature age and impeccable reputation.”

In Pompeii itself, frescoes that were not subject to dismantling, but offended public morality, were covered with curtains, which were allowed to be lifted only for a fee for males.

This practice existed back in the 1960s. At the end of the 1960s. an attempt was made to “liberalize” the exhibition regime and transform the Secret Cabinet into a public museum, but it was stopped by conservatives. The office was open to the public only for a short time.

The Secret Cabinet, as one of the latest manifestations of censorship, was perceived ambiguously, and its contents caused a lot of speculation. In 2000, it was finally opened to the public by adults. Written parental permission is required for teenagers to visit. In 2005, the collection of the Secret Cabinet was finally transferred to the management of the National Museum of Archaeology.

There was a lupanarium in Pompeii.

Lupanarium(Also lupanar, lat. lupānar or lupānārium) - a brothel in Ancient Rome located in a separate building. The name comes from the Latin word for she-wolf ( lat. lupa) - this is what prostitutes were called in Rome.

It was discovered in 1862 and has been restored several times since then. The last restoration was completed in 2006, the penultimate one in 1949. It is a two-story building with five cubiculas (bedrooms) on each floor. In the hallway, the walls near the ceiling are covered with frescoes of an erotic nature. In the lower floor cubicles there are stone beds (covered with mattresses) and graffiti on the walls

In addition to the lupanarium, there were at least 25 single rooms in the city intended for prostitution, often located above wine shops. The cost of this type of service in Pompeii was 2-8 asses. The staff was represented mainly by slaves of Greek or Oriental origin.

Bed in the lupanaria.

The inhabitants of the lupanarii received guests in small rooms painted with frescoes of erotic content. Otherwise, the furnishings of these tiny rooms were extremely simple; in essence, it was one narrow stone bed about 170 cm long, which was covered with a mattress on top.

At the request of the authorities, all women of easy virtue wore red belts, called mamillare, raised to the chest and tied at the back..

One of the frescoes from the Lupanarium.

In Pompeii, they tried not to advertise such placesA low and inconspicuous door led from the street to the lupanarium. However, finding lupanarium was not difficult even for visiting traders and sailors.

Visitors were guided by arrows in the form phallic symbol carved directly into the pavement stones.

They made their way into the lupanarium after dark, hiding behind their hoods pulled down low. A special pointed headdress called the cuculus nocturnus (night cuckoo)), hid the face of a noble brothel client. There is a mention of this item in Juvenal in the story of the adventure Messalina

To make love, the women of Pompeii collected their hair in complex hairstyles and never went completely naked. Bracelets, rings and necklaces are visible in the frescoes. Pompeian women already practiced depilation, wore bras and even... bras

Italian journalist Alberto Angela, believes that in Ancient Pompeii the inhabitants simply lived a full-blooded life according to the principle “seize the moment and enjoy life.”

An Italian journalist claims that the reason for this was “life, short and intense, like a dream.” Life expectancy in Ancient Pompeii was 41 years for men and 29 years for women. An ancient Roman deity who personified life,Kairos, was presented in the form of a young man with wings - he will fly away and you won’t catch him!

Therefore, everything that gave pleasure - love, sex, food, jewelry, feasting and dancing - was the subject of lust and the pursuit of pleasure.

The Pompeians and Pompeian women used love potions, love elixirs, sex toys, artificial phalluses carved from wood and covered with leather. Infertile women used the services of surrogate mothers. There were special areas for filming - circuses, forums, thermal baths.

According to Alberto Angel, in Ancient Pompeii there was “a refined, refined society, distinguished by refined taste, passions, emotions... just one example is enough: while the ancient Romans already used a contraceptive infusion prepared from the silphio plant, which no longer exists in the present time, the barbarian Gauls still kept the heads of their slain enemies in their house!”

Amulets.

Marble figurine depicting the copulation of the ancient Greek god Pan with a goat. Found during excavations of the luxurious Villa of the Papyri.

Pan- ancient Greek god shepherding and cattle breeding, fertility and wild nature, the cult of which has Arcadian origin. According to the Homeric hymn, he was born with goat legs, a long beard and horns, and immediately upon birth began to jump and laugh.

Frightened by the child's unusual appearance and character, the mother left him, but Hermes , wrapped it in hare skins, took it to Olympus and before that he amused all the gods, and especially Dionysus by the appearance and liveliness of his son, that the gods named him Pan, since he brought everyonegreat joy.

Materials from open Internet sites were used.

DEAR READERS, I hope you will be correct and well-mannered in your comments.

According to the church decree, the wife had to behave modestly and quietly during sexual intercourse, that is, lie quietly, move as little as possible, not make sounds, etc., of course, her nightgowns were not taken off. And then one day my husband
Returning home from hunting late at night, he went to his wife’s bedroom and fulfilled his marital duty.
It must be said that the wife behaved as usual, that is, she was cold and silent, and in the morning it turned out that she had died in the evening, while her husband was hunting. This story reached the pope himself, since the unfortunate man was not satisfied with the usual confession and went to atone for his sin in the Holy City. After which a decree was issued in which women, during the performance of marital duties, were supposed to show signs of life from time to time. Briefly speaking, The church lifted the ban on absolute female passivity, without denying great restraint.

In fact, sexual prohibitions and regulations permeate not only the Middle Ages, but the entire history of mankind. Priests and legislators, thinkers and revolutionary figures have exhausted many tons of clay, papyrus, parchment and paper, trying to explain to people how, with whom, when, for what and under what conditions one can or cannot have sex.

And in the Middle Ages, this trend was simply global.
This is a time that we call “dark,” and we gleaned many basic ideas about sex and morality from them, obscurantist and terrible, carrying these ideas as the banner of the triumph of morality.

In those days, a person’s sexual life was under the constant control of priests. The vast majority of types of sex were called the capacious word “fornication.” Adultery and fornication were sometimes punishable by death and excommunication.
But, at the same time, these same controllers - the priests - were very curious about the intimate life of a person, they really wanted to know what was happening in the beds of the laity. Spurred by curiosity, theologians left a lot of descriptions and evidence, thanks to which we have at least some idea of ​​what sex was like in the Middle Ages.

Here are 10 facts about sex in the Middle Ages.

1. Courtly love: You can look, but don't you dare touch

The Church forbade openly demonstrating sexual interest, but allowed that love could have something in common with sex.
Courtly love is usually understood as the relationship between a knight and a beautiful lady, and it is very desirable for the knight to be brave, and for the object of his worship to be inaccessible.
It was allowed to be married to someone else and be faithful, the main thing was to under no circumstances show reciprocal feelings for your knight. You could be pale and weak, sadly bow your head and sigh, only hinting to the knight of reciprocity.

2. Adultery: Keep your pants buttoned up, sir.

For those who took the dictates of Christian morality seriously, sex did not exist at all. Sexual intercourse was only permissible within marriage. Premarital or extramarital affairs were punished very cruelly, up to and including the death penalty, and the Church also often acted as judge and executioner.

But it was not only about Christian laws. Marital fidelity was the only reliable way for men of noble origin to be sure that their children were truly theirs. There is a known case when the French king Philip, having caught his own daughters having connections with some of his vassals, sent two of them to a monastery and killed the third. As for the guilty courtiers, they were executed in a brutal public execution.

The Church also dictated exactly how people should have sex. All positions other than “missionary” were considered a sin and were prohibited. Oral and anal sex and masturbation were also strictly prohibited - these types of contacts did not lead to the birth of children, which, according to purists, was the only reason for making love.
Violators were punished severely: three years of repentance and service to the church for sex in any of the “deviant” positions.Just tell me, how did they find out? Im onDid you voluntarily tell confessions? Something like this: Share with me, my son, how did you get a wife at night?

However, some theologians of that time proposed assessing sexual contacts more gently, for example, placing acceptable positions in the following order (as sinfulness increases): 1) missionary, 2) on the side, 3) sitting, 4) standing, 5) from behind. Only the first position was recognized as godly; the rest were proposed to be considered “morally questionable,” but not sinful. Apparently, the reason for such softness was that members of the nobility, often obese, were unable to have sex in the most sinless position, and the Church could not help but meet the sufferers halfway.

The Church's position on homosexuality was firm: under no pretext! Sodomy was characterized as an “unnatural” and “ungodly” activity and was punishable in only one way: the death penalty. Lord, what did the monks do in their monasteries?

In the 12th and 13th centuries, it was customary for sodomites to be burned at the stake, hanged, starved to death and tortured, of course, in order to “drive out the demon” and “atone for sin.” However, there is evidence that some members of high society still practiced homosexuality. For example, it was said about the English king Richard I, nicknamed “Lionheart” for his exceptional courage and military skill, that at the time of meeting his future wife he was in a sexual relationship with his brother. The king was also accused of “eating from the same plate” with the French King Philip II during his visits to France, and at night “sleeping in the same bed and having passionate love with him.”

5. Fashion: Is it a codpiece or are you just really happy to see me?

One of the most popular men's fashion accessories in the Middle Ages was the codpiece, a flap or pouch that was attached to the front of trousers to emphasize masculinity by highlighting the genitals. The codpiece was usually stuffed with sawdust or fabric and fastened with buttons or tied with braid. As a result, the man's crotch area looked very impressive.

Of course, the Church did not recognize this “devilish fashion” and tried in every possible way to prevent its spread. However, its power did not extend to the king of the country and his closest courtiers.

6. Dildos: Size to suit the sinfulness of desire

There is some evidence that artificial penises were actively used in the Middle Ages. In particular, entries in “books of repentance” - sets of punishments for various sins. These entries were something like this:

“Did you do what some women do with phallus-shaped objects, the size of which corresponds to the sinfulness of their desires? If so, you must repent on all holy holidays for five years!”

Dildos did not have any official name until the Renaissance, so they were designated by the names of objects that had an elongated shape. In particular, the word "dildo" comes from the name of an oblong loaf of dill bread: "dilldough".

7. Virginity and Chastity: Just Repent

The Middle Ages highly valued virginity, drawing a parallel between the chastity of a common woman and the Virgin Mary. Ideally, a girl should have protected her innocence as her main wealth, but in practice this was rarely achieved: morality was low, and men were rude and persistent (especially in the lower class). Realizing how difficult it is for a woman to remain chaste in such a society, the Church made repentance and remission of sins possible not only for non-virgin girls, but even for those who gave birth to children.

Women who chose this path of “purification” had to repent of their sins, and then atone for them by joining the cult of the Mother of God, that is, devoting the rest of their days to life and service to the monastery.

8. Prostitution: Prosperity

Prostitution flourished in the Middle Ages. In large cities, prostitutes offered their services anonymously, without revealing their real names, and this was considered an honest and completely acceptable profession. We can say that at that time the Church tacitly approved of prostitution, or at least did not try to prevent it.

Oddly enough, commodity-money relations in sexual relations were regarded as a way to prevent adultery (!) and homosexuality, that is, as something that cannot be done without. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “If we prohibit women from selling their bodies, lust will spill out into our cities and destroy society.”

The most privileged prostitutes worked in brothels, fewer offered their services on city streets, and in villages there was often one prostitute for the entire village, and her name was well known to the residents. However, prostitutes were treated with contempt there; they could be beaten, mutilated, or even thrown into prison, accused of vagrancy and debauchery.

9. Contraception: Do what you want

The Church never approved of contraception, as it prevents the birth of children, but most of the church's efforts were aimed at combating “unnatural” sex and homosexuality, so people were left to their own devices in the matter of contraception. Contraception was seen as a minor moral transgression rather than a major sin.

10. Sexual dysfunction: Sick, take off your panties

If a man, for some unknown reason, could not have sex, the Church sent him “private detectives” - experienced village women who examined his “household” and assessed his general health, trying to identify the cause of sexual impotence. If the penis was deformed or there were other pathologies noticeable to the naked eye, the Church gave permission for divorce due to the husband’s inability to procreate.

Chastity belts.

This is a highly controversial point. I read in one magazine that they were invented later and existed for a very specific purpose: they were used during long trips so that bandits could not rape a woman.

But don’t think that the invention of the belt was dictated only by safety rules. Here's what the court archives of past centuries say about this.
In the 1860s, a Moscow merchant, “in order to save his young wife from temptation,” ordered the device from an experienced mechanic. The young woman suffered greatly from the belt, although “made diligently.” Upon returning from trips, the merchant staged wild scenes of jealousy and “taught his wife in mortal combat.” Unable to withstand the cruelty, the wife fled to the nearest monastery, where she told everything to the abbess. She invited the assistant police chief, who was extremely indignant. An investigator, a doctor and a mechanic were called. The unfortunate woman was freed from the terrible device and placed in the monastery infirmary for treatment.

Another incident that happened around the same time ended tragically. A skilled mechanic put a similar belt on his wife when he went to the southern provinces to earn money. Neither he nor his wife suspected the pregnancy. After a certain time, relatives, concerned about the condition of the young woman, were forced to invite a midwife. The pregnant woman was already unconscious. Upon discovering the belt, the midwife immediately called the police. It took several hours to rid the woman of the terrible device. She was saved, but the child died. The returning husband ended up behind bars and returned home only a couple of years later... Full of repentance, he went to atone for his sin in monasteries and soon froze to death somewhere along the way.

based on materials from samopiska.ru

sexscience.ru/post/595