Pompeii is well known for being one of several ancient Roman metropolises preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius, a catastrophic volcano in the year 79. What it’s less famous for is its history as a highly sexual culture. The buried city is literally covered with carvings of phalluses—including a bronze chandelier that depicts a flying dick and a mural of Mercury with a massive erection!
And now, new images of an excavated brothel are giving even more clues about the randy shenanigans of the naughty Pompeiians. Historians think the sex acts depicted on the walls of the brothel called “Lupanar of Pompeii” were advertisements to potential clients. They include images of same-sex and opposite-sex couples, since the prostitutes were both men and women. The brothel, which was five stories high and equipped with a balcony where sex workers called down to potential customers in the street, is the only one known in the city. If you can’t get to Pompeii to see the remains of Lupanar in person, tune in to CBC’s The Nature of Things to take a tour through the notorious brothel.
Looking to get into some wild shenanigans yourself? Come get naughty right here!
Check out more about the erotic murals of a Pompeii brothel: https://www.iflscience.com/
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