Erotic graffiti found at Astypalea

So, it may be slightly beyond the timeline limits of this blog, but I had to share this find with you guys, just because it made me very happy to know that very ancient inhabitants of modern Greece were equally fond of drawing lewd pictures as teenagers are today. Progress, people, or lack of same. 

Erotic rock-carvings dating to the 6th or 5th centuries BC found on a boulder
on the Greek island of Astypalea [Credit: Ethnos]

In short, the Archaeology News Network reports that ancient erotic inscriptions dating back to the early 6th and the late 5th centuries BC were recently discovered on the island of Astypalea. The Secretary General of the Archaeological Society, Vasilios Petrakos, made extensive reference to two erotic inscriptions that were discovered and which depict two phalluses from the right angle.

Prior to this find, spirals, shapes of ships, tools in triangular shapes were already found and dated back to the Neolithic inhabitants of Astypalea. According to the article, one of the first findings of the Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Andreas Vlachopoulos, were rock carvings located in Vathi at the Pirgos Peninsula and date back to 4th-3rd millennium BC. These more recent carvings give a glimpse into the 'private life' of the ancient inhabitants of the area.

Astypalea (Αστυπάλαια) is an island located 117 seamiles from Athens, and 23 seamiles from Kos. It has around 1300 inhabitants and is 18 kilometres (11 miles) long, and 13 kilometres (8 miles) wide at the most. In total, it covers an area of 97 km2. The island was named after Astypalaea, the daughter of Phoenix (son of Agenor) and Perimede, and was the sister of Europa. She was a lover of Poseidon who seduced her, and had two sons by him: Ancaeus, King of Samos, and Eurypylos, King of Kos.