Sex toys are not a new invention. Centuries ago, some of our ancestors were already fulfilling their desires with sex toys. The proof is in this black-clad dildo, unearthed by archaeologists in the centre of Gdansk, Poland, in 2015.
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A velvet sex toy
The penis-shaped object leaves no doubt about its purpose. It is indeed an artificial phallus that archaeologists have discovered in the latrines of an archaeological site in Gdansk. Interestingly, the black dildo-like object is made of velvet, unlike other previously-found, centuries-old sex toys that were made of glass or bones. According to Science in Poland, the Museum in Gdansk said in a statement:
An eighteenth-century leather dildo found in the ramparts around Gdansk. Most accounts of early-modern dildos describe them as ivory, but the 'The Case of Catterina Vizzani' (1751) suggests Bordoni wore a 'leathern machine'. pic.twitter.com/V21CACX7pr
— Bordoni/Vizzani Project (@queeranatomy) September 13, 2019
It is entirely filled with animal hair. The head was made of fabric (velvet), which was probably intended to enhance the erotic experience.
Indeed, after its restoration, the institution inherited the curious object and dedicated a prominent place to it, near the entrance of the museum.
Dildos have been around for centuries
Although they have become particularly popular in recent decades, sex toys are in fact very old. Originally, this discovery was made in 2015 and it's not the first time that researchers have come across one of these objects of pleasure. And clearly, people already knew how to please themselves in ancient times, as the Museum points out:
Did you know there were dildos in Ancient Greece?
— Sweetbitter | the Untold History of Pirates (@sweetbitterpod) November 2, 2020
We spoke to @MMJ722 about it on our most recent episode:
“As you get into Hellenistic literature, you will get weird pieces of literature that talk about women going and buying dildos to use with other women, or on themselves” pic.twitter.com/bpzv1CAL9y
The first written mention of artificial leather penises dates back to ancient Greece. The city of Miletus was not only a cultural and economic centre but also a famous place for the manufacture and sale of artificial phalluses.
The Greeks used them as objects of pleasure, which they called olisbos. These objects were made of stone, wood and tanned leather.
This article is translated from Gentside FR.
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