The lupanara Grande, meaning 'Wolfs den' in Roman, was one of the largest and most popular brothels found in Pompeii and reflects the kind of life Romans may have lived and the impact that Christianity had on the viewing of antiquities found within the building. this building is found near the Forum and the Market place, which would give a reason to its popularity. The Lupanara Grande was discovered in the early 19th century and was one of the most conflicting findings due to the christian church, this was because many erotic and pornographic frescoes, sculptures, wind chimes and other artefacts were found within this building which were considered extremely taboo by the church at this time. However these findings gave archeologists a unique insight to the beliefs that the Romans had and how they related it to their own way of living.
A brothel is able to be located discretely from the outside with the use of a small stone fallace embedded into the pavement with the tip pointing to the direction it is in [1]. This insured that anyone who wanted to enjoy what the brothels had to offer would know exactly where to get it. Brothels played a big part in how Romans lived their lives and this is shown through the sheer number of brothels within Pompeii. There were many Brothels and Taverns found within Pompeii that would have offered sex to Romans, 37 of them are shown on the map below out of more than 41 found[2]. This amount of Brothels meant that sex was widely available to anyone who wanted it, even the poor could afford this type of service.
Inside the Lupanara Grande, explicit frescos are seen near the top of the walls, the reasons for this is still unclear. However it has been suggested that these images may have acted as 'menus' for the types of service that was available or were placed there to heighten the clients pleasure[3]. This particular brothel was quite large with 10 Cubicula over 2 floors (5 rooms on each), a balcony and a latrina, or toilet. The interior of each of the rooms would have consisted of a small stone bed with a straw mattress, brightly coloured silk sheets, big pillows and either a small wooden door or a piece of fabric acting as the door[4]. Above the door, there would have been a tablet stating the name of the prostitute and their rate.
Another important feature found at the Lupanara Grande is the graffiti engraved on the interior and exterior walls. 134 transcriptions have been found, with a high concentration of "futio" meaning 'i f**k'. other words that were found around this brothel were "Hick ego puellas multas futui" - 'Here I f**k many girls' and "Felix bene futuis" - 'Lucky guy, you f**ked well' or 'Lucky guy, you get a good f**k'. These crude messages help archaeologists to identify buildings as brothels in both Pompeii and Herculaneum.[5]
From the information I have gathered, I can see the significance that brothels had on Roman life at Pompeii. The huge amount of brothels that were found in Pompeii alone shows how these building for sexual pleasure had been an everyday activity for Romans, with many sexual partners and lovers. Homosexual prostitutes were extremely popular within the Roman community, as well as phedophiliac or insest. A lot of sexal acts that are today considered taboo, was just another part of a Romans sexual life or fantasy that could come true if they payed the right price. Something that may have contributed on the perception of sex in the ancient world is the view of the male organ, or fallace.The fallace in Ancient Rome was a symbol of fertility and good luck and used to help ward off evil spirits. Fallaces were used in many forms such as jewelry, statues, hanging chimes, and larger phalluses were seen in various paintings, a famous one on Priapus, the minor Greco-Roman God of fertility[6]. This may give a reason to why so many erotic art and fallacies are seen throughout Pompeii and why the view of sexual acts is extremely casual. Life of the poor or slaves would be extremely different in 1st Century BC as most of the prostitutes were either slaves or freed women. Some men and women of low social standing would go into the prostitution business in order to gain wages to survive, and if good enough, can be very well paid.
A brothel is able to be located discretely from the outside with the use of a small stone fallace embedded into the pavement with the tip pointing to the direction it is in [1]. This insured that anyone who wanted to enjoy what the brothels had to offer would know exactly where to get it. Brothels played a big part in how Romans lived their lives and this is shown through the sheer number of brothels within Pompeii. There were many Brothels and Taverns found within Pompeii that would have offered sex to Romans, 37 of them are shown on the map below out of more than 41 found[2]. This amount of Brothels meant that sex was widely available to anyone who wanted it, even the poor could afford this type of service.
Inside the Lupanara Grande, explicit frescos are seen near the top of the walls, the reasons for this is still unclear. However it has been suggested that these images may have acted as 'menus' for the types of service that was available or were placed there to heighten the clients pleasure[3]. This particular brothel was quite large with 10 Cubicula over 2 floors (5 rooms on each), a balcony and a latrina, or toilet. The interior of each of the rooms would have consisted of a small stone bed with a straw mattress, brightly coloured silk sheets, big pillows and either a small wooden door or a piece of fabric acting as the door[4]. Above the door, there would have been a tablet stating the name of the prostitute and their rate.
Another important feature found at the Lupanara Grande is the graffiti engraved on the interior and exterior walls. 134 transcriptions have been found, with a high concentration of "futio" meaning 'i f**k'. other words that were found around this brothel were "Hick ego puellas multas futui" - 'Here I f**k many girls' and "Felix bene futuis" - 'Lucky guy, you f**ked well' or 'Lucky guy, you get a good f**k'. These crude messages help archaeologists to identify buildings as brothels in both Pompeii and Herculaneum.[5]
From the information I have gathered, I can see the significance that brothels had on Roman life at Pompeii. The huge amount of brothels that were found in Pompeii alone shows how these building for sexual pleasure had been an everyday activity for Romans, with many sexual partners and lovers. Homosexual prostitutes were extremely popular within the Roman community, as well as phedophiliac or insest. A lot of sexal acts that are today considered taboo, was just another part of a Romans sexual life or fantasy that could come true if they payed the right price. Something that may have contributed on the perception of sex in the ancient world is the view of the male organ, or fallace.The fallace in Ancient Rome was a symbol of fertility and good luck and used to help ward off evil spirits. Fallaces were used in many forms such as jewelry, statues, hanging chimes, and larger phalluses were seen in various paintings, a famous one on Priapus, the minor Greco-Roman God of fertility[6]. This may give a reason to why so many erotic art and fallacies are seen throughout Pompeii and why the view of sexual acts is extremely casual. Life of the poor or slaves would be extremely different in 1st Century BC as most of the prostitutes were either slaves or freed women. Some men and women of low social standing would go into the prostitution business in order to gain wages to survive, and if good enough, can be very well paid.