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Prehistoric Men Scarred, Pierced, Tattooed Privates
Discovery News ^ | Friday, November 11, 2011 | Jennifer Viegas

Posted on 11/27/2011 2:55:38 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Men in prehistoric Europe scarred, pierced and tattooed their penises, likely for ritualistic and social group reasons, according to a new study.

Analysis of phallic decorations in Paleolithic art, described in the December issue of The Journal of Urology, may also show evidence of the world's first known surgery performed on a male genital organ. The alteration, or surgery, might have just been for ornamental purposes, or a piercing, the researchers suggest...

Angulo and colleagues Marcos Garcia-Diez and Marc Martinez studied male genital representations in portable, mostly handheld sizes of art made in Europe approximately 38,000 to 11,000 years ago.

The pieces, researchers say, frequently mirrored what actually appeared on the male penis. Paleolithic art is known to be very naturalistic, so the artists were recreating what they saw...

What is clear is that phallic decoration became more prevalent among men of the Magdalenian Culture in France and Spain about 12,000 years ago...

Another finding of the study is that prehistoric men seemed to favor preputial retraction, or drawing back of the foreskin. As a result, the scientists think it's likely that early males practiced circumcision as both a way to prevent disease and for affiliation purposes. To this day, ritual or religious circumcisions occur within several cultures.

For the prehistoric cultures, Angulo believes that their "canon of beauty" changed over time. Earlier humans of the Gravettian culture, known for characteristic tools such as carving blades, appear to have favored more exaggerated depictions of sexuality, as is evident in many of their "Venus" figurines of naked women. The Magdalenians, on the other hand, had a more naturalistic concept of beauty, according to the authors.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; maybealittleblow; napl
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To: SunkenCiv
It wasn't just Europe: if Magellan was right, they did more than tatooing here in the Philippines. link...
41 posted on 11/27/2011 5:32:46 PM PST by LadyDoc
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To: RegulatorCountry

I think there is a fly in your reasoning.


42 posted on 11/27/2011 5:32:55 PM PST by Delta Dawn (The whole truth.)
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To: ConorMacNessa

My dad used to tell the joke about the Blue Ribbon, but this is the first time I have heard your joke. (And I speak French! LOL!)


43 posted on 11/27/2011 5:33:42 PM PST by left that other site (Psalm 122:6)
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To: SunkenCiv
Men in prehistoric Europe scarred, pierced and tattooed their penises, likely for ritualistic and social group reasons...

I'm betting they were just writing the equivalent of "objects in mirror may be larger than they appear".

44 posted on 11/27/2011 5:40:11 PM PST by 6SJ7 (Meh.)
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To: left that other site
I heard that joke forty years ago from one of my father's colleagues and it has stuck - I have a lousy memory for jokes in general - I think it was the French that made it stick.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!
45 posted on 11/27/2011 5:41:26 PM PST by ConorMacNessa (HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel defend us in Battle!)
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To: SunkenCiv

46 posted on 11/27/2011 5:45:16 PM PST by SERKIT ("Blazing Saddles" explains it all......)
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To: SERKIT

Circumscribed with his John Hancock. It causes one to be circumspect.


47 posted on 11/27/2011 5:52:28 PM PST by Rocky (REPEAL IT!)
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To: Venturer

Freep mail it to me. :D


48 posted on 11/27/2011 5:53:50 PM PST by Ditter
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To: SunkenCiv

This thread is why I am casting my vote for Ron Paul. It makes sense to me anyway.


49 posted on 11/27/2011 5:54:02 PM PST by FastCoyote (I am intolerant of the intolerable.)
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To: Delta Dawn

At least it’s not in the ointment.


50 posted on 11/27/2011 5:54:53 PM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: GeronL
Had a guy 20 years ago...in the ICU..where I worked.

He was easily 60....might have been 70. I don't recall.

Nevertheless...he had his penis tattooed.

I doubt the guy was uncivilized....so to speak.

51 posted on 11/27/2011 6:03:11 PM PST by Osage Orange (Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum)
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To: Osage Orange

Maybe not at that age at any rate.


52 posted on 11/27/2011 6:05:31 PM PST by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
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To: Osage Orange

I have to ask... what was the tattoo? I know I shouldn’t but inquiring minds and all...


53 posted on 11/27/2011 6:51:45 PM PST by momtothree
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To: 6SJ7

;’)


54 posted on 11/27/2011 7:59:26 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

My reaction to the village elder would have been -> “You want to pierce what?”


55 posted on 11/27/2011 8:04:54 PM PST by central_va ( I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: left that other site

LOL!


56 posted on 11/27/2011 8:11:00 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: RichInOC

“Water’s cold.”

“Uh-huh, and deep.”


57 posted on 11/27/2011 8:12:46 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: central_va

:’) I wonder if this was the inspiration for the Member’s Mark brand they stock at the wholesale club?

If this was a common practice, my first question is, how was infection (and death) prevented?


58 posted on 11/27/2011 8:32:14 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv
If this was a common practice, my first question is, how was infection (and death) prevented?

It was prevented by being able to outrun the witchdoctor.

59 posted on 11/27/2011 8:34:24 PM PST by central_va ( I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: FastCoyote

Oh dear, what have I done?


60 posted on 11/27/2011 8:39:34 PM PST by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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