No, men’s penises were not smaller in Antiquity. An American study recently showed that the average size of the erect penis has supposedly increased by 24% in thirty years. But this physiological hypothesis doesn’t hold up. So, let’s examine the matter from the perspective of art and symbolism.
An Idealized Vision of the Male Body
Sport was of fundamental importance in ancient Greece. This practice aimed both to prepare men for war and to pay homage to the gods. The body as represented in the statues we are discussing is that of the athlete. They magnify a certain vision of the body—athletic, strong, harmonious.
These nude statues were displayed outdoors, in courtyards and gardens. They present an idealized vision of the body rather than a faithful representation of reality. These sculptures represent the beauty standards of the time, and sculptors didn’t hesitate to make small arrangements with anatomy: sometimes there are more ribs than normal, more abdominal muscles, etc.
Everything is a matter of proportion and harmony. We can therefore assume that the same applies to the penis, which is depicted as much smaller at rest than it is in reality.
A Man in Control of Himself and His Impulses!
Ancient Greece was an era governed by wisdom, temperance, and rationality. Representing a man with a large penis would put virility at the forefront, designating sexuality as a quality, which is far from the spirit of the time. Man, unlike animals, must know how to resist desire and tame his impulses. Sexuality was associated with the bestial and the barbaric.
Thus, sculptures with erect penises often represent half-man, half-beast and malicious creatures. These are satyrs or centaurs, all that could provoke temptations and lead man to his downfall, plunging him into debauchery and lust.
When the (Small) Penis Is Finally Concealed
This representation of the male body would be adopted by the Romans. More than an apology for harmonious anatomy, these sculptures had a philosophical significance where reason dominated virility. In the Middle Ages, a period of censorship, nude bodies were very rarely depicted.
It was during the Renaissance, when artists revived the codes of Antiquity, that small penises reappeared in art. But this time, under the influence of the Vatican and the Christian religion, genitals were covered with a modest veil, a vine leaf, or a fig leaf.