This is why Ancient Greek statues were given incredibly small penises

There was a reason for depicting ancient Greek statues a noticeably small member according to experts.

If you have ever found yourself in a museum depicting ancient Greek statues you might notice that despite their usual great physique, they aren’t big and imposing everywhere.

In fact, it's hard not to notice the men depicted, both real and imagined, are depicted with small penises.

More than one person has likely wondered why this is, a joke by the sculptor or ancient Greece was simply filled with less than endowed leaders, politicians and philosophers.

It may surprise you to know that not only is the depiction intentional, but the reason behind it may be considered odd by our modern standards.

While these limestone and marble-made men are sporting muscular arms, washboard abs and usually a more than satisfactory head of hair - it seems that there's one thing missing from the full package, pardon the pun.

Such statues usually boast a towering physique but not all of their body is proportionately as big.

Art historian, Andrew Lear, a specialist in Ancient Greek art and sexuality explained the bizarre logic behind the phenomenon.

"They have small to very small penises, compared to the average of humanity," he began, before noting that the members are also 'usually flaccid'.

Met Museum

Back in the day, circa 400 BC, it's clear that the ideal body type was very different to what it is today.

Unlike how it seems to be nowadays, large and erect penises were the ultimate fashion faux pas in the days of Ancient Greece.

Such trends can be evidenced by artistic works that came out of that period.

In the play, The Clouds (c. 419–423 BC), the playwright Aristophanes attempted to list the very best physical traits of the men around him.

Such characteristics included: "A gleaming chest, bright skin, broad shoulders, tiny tongue, strong buttocks, and a little pr*ck.”

Not only was it considered physically more attractive, but a degree of morality and intelligence was also attributed to the beholder of a 'little pr*ck'.

British Museum

Historian Paul Chrystal sought to understand the concept some more, publishing his findings in his book In Bed with the Ancient Greeks (2016).

Quality name.

The historian found: "The small penis was consonant with Greek ideals of male beauty.

"It was a badge of the highest culture and a paragon of civilisation."

Those who blessed below the belt were often ridiculed and mocked, branded as morally compromised, lustful and barbaric - just to name a few insults.

"Big penises were vulgar and outside the cultural norm, something sported by the barbarians of the world," Chrystal explained.

Such blokes were even likened to animals, with the historian pointing to large penises as 'the sign of stupidity, more of a beast than a man'.

Topics: Art

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.