The Evolution of the Penis Throughout History

The evolution of the perception and use of the penis throughout history is a fascinating and complex subject. From ancient times to the present day, the penis has been viewed in different ways, both as a symbol of fertility, an object of desire, an instrument of power and domination, as well as a source of shame and taboos.

In some ancient cultures, the penis was revered as a symbol of fertility and male power. In ancient Egypt, for example, the phallus was considered sacred and was often depicted in art and architecture. The Greeks and Romans, on the other hand, viewed the penis as an object of beauty and desire, depicted in erotic statues and paintings.

However, as society became more religious and puritanical, the penis became a source of shame and taboo. In the Middle Ages, it was often depicted in art as a symbol of sin and moral decadence. During the Renaissance, it was often hidden behind fig leaves or draperies, to avoid offending religious sensibilities.

Today, the penis is once again celebrated as a symbol of male sexuality and is often depicted in popular culture, media, and erotic art. However, society continues to hold taboos and stigmas against men who do not meet traditional standards of manhood and masculinity, including those with size issues, erectile dysfunction, or other sexual health concerns.

At the beginning of time, the penis was discreet. In reality, prehistoric men, apart from using it instinctively, did not seem to guess its involvement in reproduction. The world therefore venerated a mother goddess and it was above all childbirth that took center stage. Then, humans understood that it was from the penis that the semen came out that engendered the baby in the matriarchal womb. And presto, exit the mother goddess, the career of the male gods was launched.

Since then, the penis has been popular, depicted everywhere for at least 30,000 years on all sorts of frescoes and artifacts from all four corners of the world. On archaeological sites in Sweden and Germany, researchers have unearthed phallic sculptures from prehistoric times, carved from deer antlers or stone. These objects are thought to be at least 28,000 years old.

In China, archaeological excavations of royal tombs dating back more than 2,000 years have uncovered small dildos, both made of bronze and jade. It is believed that these objects were used to block the mouths and anuses of the dead to prevent chi from escaping the body after the individual’s death.

Later, Hebrews, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, all ancient civilizations praised the penis in turn. The erect penis is an icon, a symbol of absolute fertility, worn by a god who often represents spring, life, love, rut. Shiva in India, Osiris in Egypt, Dionysus in Greece, Priapus in Rome, on Peruvian vases, on Japanese prints, phallic cults are exhibited everywhere, on amphorae, statues, amulets, necklaces, earrings, the penis is a hero that we venerate, here and there, or that we wear on ourselves.

The Greeks and Romans later chose to depict the male sex in fairly realistic proportions, judging that large penises were a sign of stupidity and lust. Which explains why the majority of male statues from Antiquity show men with small penises.

In the Middle Ages, it was decided to do a little more and the fly was invented. The penis divinity was now highlighted in every man who could afford suitable breeches. At first, they were padded, thus giving considerable volume to the male organ, just to draw attention to it.

Elsewhere in the world, particularly on the American continent, pottery attributed to the Moche civilisation has also been found during excavations in Peru, representing male figurines with a gigantic penis on the glans of which an opening is made to allow liquids to flow.

In Tuscany, in the medieval town of Massa Marittima, there is a mural depicting a phallus tree dating back to the 13th century. century. It even seems that these penis trees were quite widespread throughout Europe between the 13th e and the 16th century .

The most surprising legend, however, appears in a witch-hunt manual, the Malleus Maleficarum, in the 15th century. century, and in which it is claimed that witches have magical powers and that they steal men’s penises to make them their pets. They then carefully guard the stolen penises and keep them alive by feeding them with oats and grains. It doesn’t get any more ridiculous than that!

Renaissance painters (Michelangelo, Masaccio, Fra Bartolomeo, the Pollaiulo brothers, among many others) highlighted, under transparent tulle, many penises of biblical characters, Christ and San Sebastian at the forefront. Strangely, while morals were prudish, religious paintings flirted with indecency with impunity. Go figure.

In the 19th and 20th century, the penis takes on worrying psychoanalytic proportions with Freud’s theories. The latter grants the penis the definition of the only gender, the masculine, since the feminine, itself, is defined by the absence of the penis. In short, complicated and discriminatory.

And the penis today, where is it? The new muse of pharmaceutical multinationals, the penis of the 21st century e century is no longer just an object of aesthetics and performance. It must, according to a host of biased studies among women, be big and hold an erection in full formula for Cialis and Viagra to continue to invade our mailboxes. But hey, maybe its future will be filled with new adventures…