From the Stone Age to Ancient Greece and up to the present, there has been a tool that almost every civilization has had on hand.
The dildo is not a modern invention. Instead, it is an ancient tool believed to date back to the Stone Age.
A Paleolithic stone phallus, dating back to 29,000 BC. C., found in Germany. Blaubeuren Prehistory Museum
Archaeologists have attempted to conceive unusual uses for the distinctively shaped objects of this period which they have loosely referred to as “Ice Age walking sticks.” However, scientific opinion is gradually leaning towards the idea that these objects were used for 𝚜𝚎𝚡 pleasure.
This change of heart is due to the incredibly detailed nature of some of the phalluses. For example, some of these objects have retracted or completely absent foreskin, piercings, tattoos and scars. This specificity, along with their smooth, polished life-size construction (of siltstone, chalk, or antler bone), leads scholars to believe that these ancient phalluses were used as dildos.
After the Stone Age, the ancient Greeks did not look for sexual inspiration in the outside world in terms of their artificial phalluses, but inside the kitchen. One of their most notorious sexual practices is the use of olisbokollikes, or dildos made entirely of bread (basically, baguettes). Images of bread dildos have been recorded in a variety of sources, although it is unclear whether they were used for ritual purposes or for everyday pleasure.
A 28,000-year-old stone phallus recovered in Germany. MICHAEL LATZ/AFP/Getty Images
Additionally, the Greeks used dildos in other contexts. In Aristophanes’ famous play Lysistrata, for example, Greek women go on a sex strike that leads to an argument over using dildos to satisfy themselves while they protest.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the astonishing wealth of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) gave rise to incredibly elaborate tombs containing a variety of exquisite items, including several ancient toys.
Essentially, the Han believed that their spirits would live within these tombs in the afterlife. And Han royals hoped to maintain the same standard of “life” after death, meaning they took some of their most important possessions with them, including intricate bronze dildos.
A phallic antler bone carving that was discovered in Sweden and dates back to the Stone Age (6,000 BC and 4,000 BC). Peter Zetterlund/Swedish National Heritage Board
These toys were common aids among the Han elites and were high-quality products. However, although these dildos were toys, they had the additional function of being tools.
“When I say ‘tool,’ I also mean that these phalluses had a broader purpose than pure physical pleasure,” Jay Xu of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum told Hyperallergic. “The Han believed that the balance of yin and yang, the feminine and masculine spiritual principles, could be achieved during sex… In this sense, 𝚜𝚎𝚡, especially if it was pleasurable and lasted long enough, had a real spiritual dimension. .”
Therefore, for the people of the Han Dynasty, the inclusion of these luxurious sex toys in their tombs was not a naughty occurrence. Rather, it was a vital step intended to ensure that the deceased would have a peaceful and loving afterlife.
A bronze phallus from the Chinese province of Jiangsu dating to the 2nd century BC. C. Nanjing Museum
However, as we moved into 16th and 18th century Europe, dildos became more scandalous. For example, Italian writer Pietro Aretino recorded how nuns began using dildos in the 16th century to “calm the gnawing of flesh.”
A century later, dildos began to become more available to the wealthy, but their increasing ubiquity did not mean they were tolerated in polite society. When the daring John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, imported dildos to England for his sex club in 1670, for example, they were immediately destroyed.
However, many people apparently ignored the Wilmot episode and continued trying to get dildos. In fact, English women began making their own dildos, but were penalized for it once it was made illegal.
Polish dildo. Around the year 1700. Regional Office for the Protection of Monuments via Discovery News
Around this same time, in Edo-period Japan, people had a very different and decidedly relaxed attitude toward 𝚜𝚎𝚡 тoyѕ. The Japanese depicted these dual aids in their erotic books and images known as “shunga.” In shunga, women were depicted purchasing and enjoying dildos.
In general, in this type of literature, women were shown as incredibly 𝚜𝚎𝚡ual, even to the point of being the aggressors. Even after the Japanese government banned shunga in 1722, it flourished in underground markets.
In modern times, the dildo has been made from a variety of materials, but by far the most successful material is the silicone dildo, created by Gosnell Duncan. In 1965, Duncan suffered an injury that left him paralyzed below the waist. His accident inspired him to become active in the disability movement and advocate for better, safer options for penis substitutes.
An ivory French dildo complete with a device to simulate ejaculation. Around the 18th century. SSPL/Getty Images
During the 1960s and 1970s, dildos were largely made of rubber, which was a poor material for the job, as it could not withstand strong washing or heating without losing its structural integrity. Additionally, dildos were only sold as a medical aid and were intended only for heterosexual couples who were having difficulty with sexual intercourse.
But, in the early 1970s, Duncan created the silicone dildo. He did it as medical aid for people with disabilities. However, as we all know, it took off as a product for anyone looking to improve or simply augment their personal life.
Since Duncan and long before, phallic sex toys throughout history have remained fairly consistent in appearance, shape and length, and have remained a hidden staple in many of the world’s cultures for millennia.
A collection of Japanese sexual aids. Circa 1930s. Welcome Images
During the 1960s and 1970s, dildos were largely made of rubber, which was a poor material for the job, as it could not withstand strong washing or heating without losing its structural integrity. Additionally, dildos were only sold as a medical aid and were intended only for heterosexual couples who were having difficulty with sexual intercourse.
But, in the early 1970s, Duncan created the silicone dildo. He did it as medical aid for people with disabilities. However, as we all know, it took off as a product for anyone looking to improve or simply augment their personal life.
Since Duncan and long before, phallic toys throughout history have remained fairly consistent in appearance, shape and length, and have remained a hidden staple in many of the world’s cultures for millennia.
