The Secret and Erotic Cabinet of the Archaeological Museum of Naples in Italy

Scene depicting a sexual act, Pompeii, Lupanar, Archaeological Museum of Naples

Erotic scene with sexual act The Secret Cabinet at the Naples Archaeological Museum shows us a condensed of the frescoes, objects and sculptures most representative of eroticism and sexuality in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The walls of the houses, and in particular those of the small rooms, were often decorated with frescoes of a loving, but also sexual nature.

Mythology was a big part of it, with satyrs, faunas of the gods, such as Pan, Priapus and Bacchus, accompanied by nymphs and bacchantes in very voluptuous attitudes.

These love scenes, erotic, graceful and cheerful show us that sex had no shameful character two thousand years ago in Pompeii.

The Roman and Greek gods were the antithesis of the major monotheistic religions when it came to sexual freedom.

Fresco Europe on the Bull, Pompeii, Casa di Giasone, Archaeological Museum of Naples

Europe on the Bull Zeus spent his time chasing girls, just like most of the other gods.

Morality was then embodied solely by Hera, Jupiter’s wife, whose fits of jealousy took the form of punishments meted out to the poor girls who had been seduced and captured against their will by her philandering husband.

The wealth of the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum allowed for the existence of numerous taverns where the local wine, which was quite strong, helped to keep the inhabitants cheerful after their day's work, a relaxation that included sexual pleasures, without moral constraints, as modesty did not seem to be one of the virtues of the time.

Love was associated with virility, symbolised by “il membro santo”.

Erect penises, Pompeii, Erotic Cabinet, Archaeological Museum of Naples

Erect Phallus An infallible and sacred member, proudly displayed like those stone phalluses built into the outer walls of certain notable figures’ homes, next to the front door.

The phallus was regarded as a divine power presiding over marriage, fertilisation, and which brought good luck.

This cult of the phallus was linked to the myth of the Egyptian god Osiris, whose wife Isis had an important temple in Pompeii.

Barren women would hang small phalluses made of stone or bronze around their necks, and in the temples of Priapus, people would kneel before the phalluses.

Mercury, shop sign, Pompeii, Erotic Cabinet, Archaeological Museum of Naples

Mercury, shop sign It is even said that at certain festivals, the virginity of a young girl was sacrificed to Priapus by making her sit on the genitals of the statue of the god, where she had to remain until the desired outcome was achieved.

This religious and popular atmosphere, where fertilisation and eroticism mingled without moral constraints, gave rise to these frescoes, sculptures and everyday objects of a sexual nature that were found in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Of course, this does not mean that the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum spent their time engaging in endless orgies; but we know that most of the bars and restaurants of the time could serve their customers more than just food, not to mention the numerous brothels that existed in these towns, which were far more numerous than in ancient Rome.

The sexual practices depicted in the frescoes, although predominantly of a bisexual nature, also show certain homosexual scenes, as well as dwarves naturally participating in the erotic pleasures of the time.

Welcome to Pompeii and Herculaneum!

Eroticism Erotic | Satyr | Brothel | Priapus | Phallus | Pan | Hermafroditus
Artworks Sculptures | Frescoes | Eroticism
MANN Artworks | Schedule Tickets | Location | Authorizations
Museums Borbonica | MANN | Catacombs | Capodimonte | Royal | Jago | Neapolis | Diocesano | Martino | C.Elmo | Zevallos | Floridiana | Filangeri | C.Nuovo | Aquarium | Natural H. | Archivio | Pignatelli | Madre

Back to Top of Page