We discussed this a bit on a recent episode of Weirdest Thing, but to make a long story short, size was not everything in Ancient Greece. The preference for foreskin over the rest of the external sex organ seems to have mostly been due to cultural attitudes around sex and penises at the time. In doing so, they essentially bundled the glans of the penis snugly into a little goodie bag, ensuring it wouldn’t peek out to say hello while they were playing sports (or just plain playing) in the buff. While researching weird historical sex stuff (as one does) and trying to determine whether or not Prince Albert really had a penis piercing (he probably didn’t) I came across the fascinating phenomenon of the kynodesmē, which is Greek for “dog tie.” In Ancient Greece and Rome it was common-trendy, even-for young people with penises to grasp the ends of their foreskins, pull them up over the glans, and use pieces of sticky paper or strips of string or leather to fasten them shut. FACT: A jaunty foreskin trend may have influenced religious circumcision
