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From CNN of Aug. 2000 - Naples museum exposes public to ancient erotica From Gayle
Young Naples (CNN) -- It was hidden in storerooms for years, deemed far too risqué for public display. Now a collection of ancient erotic art is out in the open at Naples' National Museum of Archaeology -- proof that times have changed and that people aren't as easily shocked. Even though some of the pieces are 2,000 years old, they are remarkably graphic. And that's not deterring museum goers.
"The secret room in the Naples Archaeological Museum, containing sexual artifacts from excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, has been closed to all but the very rich and influential for 200 years. But despite vociferous protest, it is now open to the public. You do have to go through a few hoops to get in. After you buy your general admission ticket, you might have to ask about the secret room (camera segretta). You'll be directed to another kiosk where you'll be assigned a visitation time and given a voucher good for that time period. All tours are free and guided by someone who speaks your language but who isn't necessarily knowledgeable about the artifacts. You can hire an archaeologist to tell you more about them if you wish. The interesting thing is, you are free to take pictures--as long as you don't use flash. You'll only have 45 minutes to tour the room, but it's smaller than you'd think considering the hoopla surrounding the exhibit."
Sexuality
in Ancient Egypt "Long before the Greek and Roman artists depicted and described the most intimate aspects of human behavior the ancient Egyptians had been practicing their sensual expression for centuries. Erotica flowed through all levels of society like the waters of the Nile and although the evidence is scarcer it is no less potent. Ancient Egyptians believed that life, sexuality and rebirth were elements that went hand in hand." -------- http://www.ancientnile.co.uk/sen.php
---------------------------------------------------------------------- "I
do not want to be the leader. I refused to be the leader. I want to live
darkly and richly in my femaleness. I wan a man lying over me,
always over me. His will, his pleasure, his
desire, his life, his work, his sexuality the
touchstone, the command, my pivot. I don’t mind working, holding my
ground intellectually, artistically; but as a woman, oh, God, as a woman
I want to be dominated. I don’t mind being told to stand on my own
feet, not to cling – all that I am capable of doing – but I am going
to be pursued, fucked, possessed by the will of a male at his time, his
bidding." Anais
Nin A
phallic invocation appears in The Acharian, a comedy by the Greek
comic poet Aristophanes (c. 450-c 385 B.C):
O Phales,
companion of the orgies of Bacchus, night reveller, god of adultery and
of pederasty, these past six years I have not been able to invoke thee.
With what joy I return to my farmstead, thanks to the truce I have
concluded, freed from cares, from fighting and from Lamachuses! How much
sweeter, Oh Phales, Phales, is it to surprise Thratta, the pretty
woodmaid, Strymodorus' slave, steadling wood from Mount Phelleus, to
catch her under the arms, to throw her on the ground and lay her, Oh
Phales, Phales! Erotica Through the Ages Barry Stone Salon has one of the best pages regarding ancient erotica available.
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