28. Ancient Greeks Choked Their “Johns” With String
Nudity did not bother Ancient Greeks as much as it does modern society, and many of their statues and vase paintings depict naked athletes. Ancient Greek literature also makes clear that athletes competed while naked. So one might assume that the Greeks did not have the kinds of hangups we do today about nudity, seeing how often went about while letting it all hang out. However, it turns out that they did have one particular hangup, having to do with the penis: they thought the naked glans was vulgar.
Ancient Greeks did not circumcise, so the glans was usually covered by the foreskin. However, the glans might pop out while engaged in frenetic activity such as athletics. To avoid such a faux pas, a string, known as the kynodesme (“dog leash”), was wrapped around the penis and foreskin to ensure that the glans stayed out of sight. The Romans, who thought the Greeks were sissies, took it a step further: instead of dainty strings, they used iron clamps, iron rings, or straight-up safety pins through the foreskin.