thumb|right|325px|Sex between Pan and a goat. From the Herculaneum villa of the Papyri. National Archaeological Museum, Naples. Marble. 1st century BCE - 1st century CE

Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum has been both exhibited as art and censored as pornography. The Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum around the bay of Naples were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, thereby preserving their buildings and artefacts until extensive archaeological excavations began in the 18th century. These digs revealed the cities to be rich in erotic artefacts such as statues, frescoes, and household items decorated with sexual themes.

The ubiquity of such imagery and items indicates that the treatment of sexual iconography in ancient Rome was more relaxed than in current Western culture. The creation of erotic art in ancient Rome is thought to have occurred over seven centuries from the first century BCE to the fifth or sixth century CE.

Much of what might strike modern viewers as erotic imagery, such as oversized phalluses, could arguably be fertility imagery. Depictions of the phallus, for example, could be used in gardens to encourage the production of fertile plants.

This clash of cultures led to many erotic artefacts from Pompeii being locked away from the public for nearly 200 years. In 1819, when King Francis I of Naples visited the Pompeii exhibition at the Naples National Archaeological Museum with his wife and daughter, he was embarrassed by the erotic artwork and ordered it to be locked away in a "secret cabinet", accessible only to "people of mature age and respected morals". Re-opened, closed, re-opened again and then closed again for nearly 100 years, the Secret Museum, Naples was briefly made accessible at the end of the 1960s (the time of the sexual revolution) and was finally re-opened for viewing in 2000. Minors are still only allowed entry to the once-secret cabinet in the presence of a guardian, or with written permission.

Phalluses

The phallus (the erect penis), whether on Pan, Priapus or a similar deity, or on its own, was a common image. It was not seen as threatening or even necessarily erotic, but as a ward against the evil eye. The phallus was sculpted in bronze as tintinnabula (wind chimes). Phallus-animals were common household items.

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File:Bronze 'flying phallus' amulet.JPG|Bronze tintinabulum; phallus in the form of a winged lion, with suspended chimes. 1st Century BCE

File:Pompeii Via dell' Abbondanza 07.jpg|Relief of a Phallus on a lava paving stone showing directions to a brothel on the Via dell' Abbondanza. Pompeii.

File:Pompeiian phallus, c.1-50 AD.JPG|Phallus relief from Pompeii, c. 1–50 AD

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Priapus

A wall fresco which depicted Priapus, the god of sex and fertility, with his oversized erection, was covered with plaster (and, as Karl Schefold explains, 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 Romans believed that he was a talisman protecting the riches of the house.

The second image, from Schefold, Karl: Vergessenes Pompeji: Unveröffentlichte Bilder römischer Wanddekorationen in geschichtlicher Folge. München 1962., with its much more brilliant colors, has been used to retouch the younger, higher resolution image here.

A statuette of Priapus in the House of the Vettii in Pompeii is from a small cubicle leading off from the kitchen. It is thought the statue used to be placed in the garden and was used as a fountain. A hole runs through its phallus allowing it to spurt like a fountain. Also in this room where the statue was located were erotic paintings.

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File:Pompeii House of the Vettii 13.jpg|A statuette of Priapus in the House of the Vettii. A hole runs through its phallus allowing it to spurt like a fountain.

File:Fresco of Hermes as Priapus (Gabinetto Segreto).jpg|Wall mural of Mercury/Priapus

File:Casa dei vettii, vestibolo, priapo che poggia il fallo sulla bilancia 01.jpg|Wall Painting of Priapus, House of the Vettii

File:In situ wall fresco with erotic scene in the Lupanar , Pompeii (14673356410).jpg|Wall painting of Priapus with two phalluses in the Lupanar 72 -79 CE

File:Pompeii - House at I. 13. 16 - Venus holding a mirror and Priapus.jpg|A fresco of Venus and Priapus. Above them is a landscape. House at I. 62 - 79 CE

File:Pompeii - House at I. 13. 16 - Venus holding a mirror and Priapus - 2.jpg|A second image of the wall painting. House at I. 62 - 79 CE

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Brothels

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thumb|right|The [[Lupanar in Pompeii]]

It is unclear whether the images on the walls were advertisements for the services offered, or if they were merely intended to heighten the pleasure of the visitors. As previously mentioned, some of the paintings and frescoes became immediately famous because they represented erotic, sometimes explicit, sexual scenes.

One of the most curious buildings recovered was the Lupanar, a brothel, which had many erotic paintings and graffiti inside. The erotic paintings seem to present an idealised vision of sex, at odds with reality. The Lupanar had 10 rooms (cubicula), 5 per floor; a balcony; and a latrina. There is no proof that the rooms in the brothel were reserved for specific sexual acts to be performed within them. In 1995, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill determined that the Lupanar possessed three elements characteristic of ancient brothels: raised stone areas that could be used as beds for performing sexual favors, erotic art, and erotic graffiti.

The Lupanar is not the only brothel in Pompeii, though it is the most famous and the first officially discovered. The town seems to have been oriented to a warm consideration of sensual matters: on a wall of the Basilica (sort of a civil tribunal, thus frequented by many Roman tourists and travelers), a piece of graffiti tells the foreigner: If anyone is looking for some tender love in this town, keep in mind that here all the girls are very friendly (loose translation). Other inscriptions reveal some pricing information for various services: Athenais 2 As, Sabina 2 As (CIL IV, 4150), The house slave Logas, 8 As (CIL IV, 5203) or Maritimus licks your vulva for 4 As. He is ready to serve virgins as well. (CIL IV, 8940). The amounts vary from one to two asses up to several sesterces. In the lower price range, the service was not more expensive than a loaf of bread.

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Lupanare dettaglio - panoramio.jpg|Erotic frescos on the walls of the Lupanar brothel

Unidentified fresco painting in Pompeii, 2016 (1).jpg|Erotic Fresco from the Lupanar brothel. 72 - 79 CE there are seven wall paintings of sexual scenes and one of a figure with an enlarged scrotum.

[[File:Terme Suburbane (Pompei) WLM 003.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The dressing room in the suburban baths.

Each wall painting of a sexual scene has a painting just below it of a box with a number on it. It is speculated that the sexual scenes and numerals on the tokens related

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" caption="Wall paintings from the dressing room in the suburban baths">

Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 10.jpg|Fresco showing a cowgirl position. A ferret is on the knee of one of the figures. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 09.jpg|An erotic scene on a bed. Wall painting. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 08.jpg|Fellatio. Wall painting. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 07.jpg|Fresco depicting cunnilingus. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 06.jpg|Lesbian sex scene. The patches of dark green color are remains of the repainting of the wall. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 05.jpg|Sex between a female and two males. Wall painting. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 04.jpg|Cunnilingus, fellatio and anal sex between two females and two males. Wall painting, Suburban baths. Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

File:Terme di porta marina, affreschi a tema erotico nello spogliatoio, 03.jpg|A nude male with an enlarged scrotum holding a scroll. Wall painting. Suburban baths, Pompeii. 62 to 79 CE

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Venus

thumb|310x310px|Fresco Depicting Mars and Venus, from the House of Mars and Venus in Pompeii

Venus was the divine protector of Pompeii, and featured in many frescoes around the city. The goddess of love, sex, and fertility, Venus was closely associated with eroticism and prostitution in ancient Rome. The mural of Venus from Pompeii may have been a Roman copy of the then famous painting by Apelles which Lucian mentioned.

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 houses' tablinum for this reason. Venus has appeared in Pompeian artwork at least 197 times, 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. 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. 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. From the House of the Centenary, Pompeii. Around 70CE</small>

File:Pompeii - Casa del Centenario - Cubiculum - Love scene from north wall.jpg|Wall painting. Pompeii. 1st century CE

File:Pompeii - Casa del Centenario - Cubiculum - Love scene from north wall - 2 detail.jpg|A second image of the same wall painting. Pompeii. 1st Century CE

File:Pompeii - House of the Vetti - 2.jpg|An erotic wall painting on the west wall of a small room at the side of the kitchen from The House of the Vettii, Pompeii.

File:Pompeii - House of the Vetti - 4.jpg|Erotic wall painting East wall. House of the Vetti, from Pompeii

Pompeii - House of the Vetti - 3.jpg|Erotic wall painting. North Wall, House of the Vetti. from Pompeii

File:Pompeii - Casa del Ristorante 6.jpg|Erotic wall painting. South wall. Casa del Ristorante. Pompeii

File:Pompeii - Casa del Ristorante 1a.jpg|Erotic wall painting. West wall. Casa del Ristorante. Pompeii

Pompeii - Casa del Ristorante 2a.jpg|Erotic wall painting. North wall Casa del Ristorante. Pompeii

Pompeii - Casa del Ristorante 3a.jpg|Erotic wall painting. North wall. Casa del Ristorante. Pompeii

File:Wall painting - love-making - Pompeii (VII 9 33) - Napoli MAN 27690.jpg|Erotic wall painting, House of the King of Prussia, Pompeii

File:Fragment of wall painting with erotic scene, from Pompeii, Naples National Archaeological Museum (17297674306).jpg|Erotic wall painting, from Pompeii, National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

File:Fragment of wall painting with erotic scene, from Pompeii, Naples National Archaeological Museum (17297820526).jpg|<small>Sex between a female and a male.The figure on the left has a garland of rose petals around their head. The figure to the right is wearing a strophium which is a kind of bra or bikini top.

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See also

  • History of erotic depictions
  • History of human sexuality
  • Homosexuality in ancient Greece
  • Homosexuality in ancient Rome
  • Lupanar
  • Pederasty in ancient Greece
  • Sexuality in ancient Rome
  • Roman art

References

Bibliography