Posted on 04/04/2005 1:22:11 PM PDT by blam
Archaeologist finds 'oldest porn statue'
Krysia Diver in Stuttgart
Monday April 4, 2005
The Guardian (UK)
Stone-age figurines depicting what could be the oldest pornographic scene in the world have been unearthed in Germany. Archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the 7,200-year-old remnants of a man having intercourse with a woman.
The extraordinary find, at an archaeological dig in Saxony, shatters the belief that sex was a taboo subject in that era.
Until now, the oldest representations of sexual scenes were frescos from about 2,000 years ago.
Harald Stäuble of the Archaeological Institute of Saxony, based in Dresden, discovered the 8cm lower half of a man, which has been named Adonis von Zschernitz. "A unique find," reported Spiegel magazine. "This is the oldest male clay figurine ever discovered in the world."
But the most amazing find came at the dig in Leipzig one month later, when Dr Stäuble found what could be the matching female figurine.
Dr Stäuble, who is due to publish a paper on his findings this year, said: "After finding Adonis, we got the team to sieve every speck of soil for a whole month. We were well rewarded because we then found fragments of a female figurine of the same size."
He added: "Adonis is bent forward and the female figure is bent forward even more.
"There are two ways of looking at this. The first is that they were doing a ritual dance, but the other possibility is that the man and woman were copulating and that he was standing behind her. The copulation option is far more likely, and would make this the oldest representation ever of a pornographic scene."
Until now, there have been discoveries of clay models of women with large breasts and bottoms, which have always been interpreted as connected with fertility. But Adonis was the first figurine that clearly depicted male sexual organs.
"This is such an interesting discovery," said Dr Sträuble, "as these figurines are not stylistic, but realistic. They open up a gateway for historians and anthropologists to discuss whether sex really was a taboo subject in the stone age."
Dr. Gunther Grossenschwanz, world-reknowned pornography expert and chairman of the Institute of Applied Erotics at Berlin University commented: "In my opinion these figurines can not be considered pornographic, because they have nothing to do with defecation."
Admittedly, this topic has never been a burning issue with me ever, but I find this assertion absurd.
Shatter what belief? According to whom?
I have read many archelogy, anthropology and history books in my life, but can't recall such a silly assertion.
Tabboo? Makes no sense.
Archaeologists lead much too cloistered lives.
LOL!!!!!!!
Putting the ass in Jurassic.
"shatters the belief that sex was a taboo subject in that era."
Not really. An archiologist uncovering a San Frnacisco bathouse 2000 years from now would not mean society condoned the behavior.
Thenk you. I vill be here all de veek.
OK, you win.
Holy crap, man! You gotta give some warnin' next time. My mouth was open and everything!
LoL....
A rock-hard (as in statue -- get your mind out of the gutter) ping.
And in the same vein: Mary Ann.
I knew if anything could get a rise out of you today it would be this thread!
There's probably a lot more from around the world, but until the last few decades that sort of thing wasn't often exhibited in museums or published.
I think the archaeologists are just excited they finally get to see some action.
Another myth shattered... I thought sex was not invented until quite recently.
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