Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

THE HuMAN FIGURE

Emperor Commodus), who makes the highly questionable assertion that both sexes, as well as the bath attendants, used bathing-drawers, there is no proof elsewhere.! He quotes at the same time two lines from a comedy of Theopompus? that have a bearing on the subject.

If we understand rightly the general sense of the passage torn from its context, which is at least doubtful, it is certain that it refers to a quite late period. Besides this passage and a mention in the comedian Pherecrates (Pollux, x, 181: 789 pev @av ovpevos mpolwyvuTar (Kock., CAF., i, 161), I cannot bring forward any literary evidence for the use of drawers over the private parts during the bath among the Greeks.

1 Pollux, vii, 66: 76 S€ mepl tots aidotors od pedvov yuvatkay adda Kal dv8pav, dmdre ody tats yuvarti Aovow70, dav NouTpida éouxe Oeomop tos 6 Kwpicos év mal Kadely eamdy. THvdl mepiLwoapevos @av Aovtpida xardSecpov WBns mpoméracoy (girding round you these bathing drawers, spread them before you as a bandage for your private parts).

3 SKE 3é aoe roi ‘ aa: a Pollux, x, 181: 76 pévroe Séppa d drolavyvyra: at yuvatkes Aovopevat 7) of Aovovres adrds, dav Aoutpida eLeore kadety (Kock., CAF., 1, 743).

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