Masturbation and the Other in Greek Art and Ideology

Abstract

The Greeks’ perception of masturbation is revealed through its association with the Other, namely women, slaves, barbarians, and mythical Others such as satyrs. According to visual and literary sources, the Greeks considered masturbation to be something largely objectionable and they tended to associate it with those who did not fit the ideal of the sōphrosunos Greek man. By examining references to masturbation in Greek literature and iconography, we can learn how the Greeks used the idea to fashion social, status, ethnic, and gender distinctions between the idealized Greek man and everyone else.