Greek Orgies - How the Ancient Greeks entertained themselves

The Greek orgies are renowned in classical culture and in today's popular slang as a group sexual practice, where the aim is to achieve the ecstasy of pleasure. In the Greek age, in the 5th century B.C., citizens of all social classes practised a ceremony in honour of the Greek God Dionysus, who was the ruler of wine and fertility.

These ceremonies in their honour were accompanied by dances, songs alluding to sex, hallucinogenic substances and of course wine. The Greek orgies The Dionysian festivals were a visual spectacle of disinhibition. In the beginning, only women participated, from high society to ladies-in-waiting; they were called hetairas or what we know today as VIP escorts.

It was in ancient Greece that the term "orgy" was created; it is said that they were the first to enjoy pleasures in groups. It was in Greece that carnal acts were rampant and reached a primitive state of humanity; through animal sacrifice, dancing and orgasms.

Dionysus the God by whom it all began

Dionysus is a strange and ambiguous god, we know him above all as the inventor of wine, but his purpose is more profound, such as manifesting himself through ecstasy and prophecy. He uses different nomenclatures, such as Bacchus and the Liberator; he is also the god of the theatre, as he has always been associated with masks.

From the Greeks to the Romans - Orgies by another name

The Greek orgies were a kind of liberation from everything earthly, including freedom from all laws and prejudices, to the point that same-sex sex was completely normal.

The orgies were so widespread (although they were held only twice a year), that their popularity spread to the neighbouring town of Rome; where, having their own gods and customs, they were renamed to Bacchanal.

Although the Romans and the Greeks had conflicts and wars throughout history, and these were evidenced in numerous writings; they certainly shared many of the same tastes for worldly pleasures and the Bacchanal was the demonstration.

Bacchus the Roman God of wine

It could be said that the Greek mythological copy of Dionysus, Bacchus, was the deity of wine in ancient Rome; and in honour of him a bacchanal or what we know as orgy. The name originates from him and it is to him that the celebration was given as an offering; where there was dancing, unrestrained sex and wine drinking until the body could take no more.

Bacchus, like Dionysus, was honoured at night; although the difference was that in Greece the custom began in forest clearings, in secluded places where only women could attend; Bacchus, however, was worshipped in houses.

What were they practising in a Greek orgy and a bacchanal?

The correct answer would be to say: everything; there were no limits or conditions, not even in terms of time or admission rights, as both celebrations allowed for the participation of a large number of people, regardless of their origin.

In addition to the wine of choice, a great deal of food was served in banquet style; an excess of luxury and ostentation by the organisers. At these gatherings there were all kinds of indecorous practices among those who participated in the bacchanal.

On the other hand, sexual positions of all kinds were practised, the most consistent being those that favoured men, because already advanced the time of the creation of the Greek orgiesThe wealthy man even attended with his slaves and used them for anal sex and this was not frowned upon.

Why were bacchanals banned?

When the rulers felt that they could no longer have control over these celebrations, in addition to the fact that there began to be suspicions and rumours of conspiracies, in this case against the Roman Empire, the senate of the time decided to make them illegal.

The bacchanal or Greek orgies, went from being a public event to a clandestine one; since after the prohibition, they could only be held with a few exceptions and previously approved by the senate.

It was a consul, Postumius by name, who was the first to denounce the bacchanals; for he investigated the almost forced initiation of a confidant, who told him, through information from a mistress, all that was practised in these places. When the consul obtained the confession of one of the women, an order was issued which resulted in more than seven thousand arrests.

The Bacchantes

The Maenads, or Bacchantes in Roman mythology, were female disciples of Dionysus. They manifested themselves as wine-drinking madwomen in the rituals of the god; dressed in deer and panther skins, they performed frenzied dances. They were feared, because despite their sensuality they were capable of maiming any unwise person who interrupted their dance.

Bacchantes are thought to have been kept secret and clandestine until the Middle Ages, and have been linked to covens (a gathering of women with mystical powers, considered to be witches).

Besides being linked to the figure of the Roman god Bacchus, the Bacchantes appear in some versions to be responsible for the death of Orpheus, whom they would have torn to pieces to avenge the god of wine and fertility, who was jealous that Orpheus worshipped Apollo and not him.

Conclusion

The Greek orgies were undoubtedly a great spectacle before the forces of the Christian religion were established on the old continent. The bacchanal, its predecessor, was the evolution of this celebration, adding the presence of men and taking place up to five times a month.

The ladies-in-waiting played an important role in the bacchanals, as they were willing to fulfil the fantasies of the men. If you want to continue reading more about sexual practices, you can read in this same blog: Feasts, Orgies and Lust: Bread and Dionysus in Ancient Greece.