The Greeks saw their custom of athletic male nudity as something that set them apart from the barbarians, as well as from their own past. A survey of male nudity as a costume in Greece attempts to trace its origin in eighth-century ritual, its gradual transformation from initiation rites to the "civic" nudity of the Classical period, and its significance in various religious, magic, and social contexts. The character of this institution can be seen more clearly by comparing it with earlier Near Eastern attitudes to nakedness, and to the later contemporary "barbarian" attitudes of the Hebrews, Etruscans, and Gauls, as well as to the contemporary views of female nudity, before its acceptance in the Hellenistic period.
Current issues are now on the Chicago Journals website. Read the latest issue.The American Journal of Archaeology (AJA) is published by the Archaeological Institute of America and in association with the University of Chicago Press. It was founded in 1885 and is one of the world’s most distinguished and widely distributed peer-reviewed archaeological journals. The AJA reaches more than 40 countries and approximately 700 universities, learned societies, departments of antiquities, and museums. The AJA regularly publishes open access content on itswebsite
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© 1989 Archaeological Institute of America