The Greek Attitude Toward Nudity


 The Greek Attitude Toward Nudity
     The Greek attitude toward nudity should be mentioned in this context Nudity was not acceptable to the Minoan, the Myceneans, or the Hometic Greeks. Tradition records the date at which Greek men began to principate in athletic events in the nude as around 720 B.C. Athletic games in Greece were part of religious ritual. The performing by athletes an the nude therefore had a religious context Furthermore,, the Greek ideal stressed not only perfection of the soul but perfection of the body as well. At about the same time that nudity came into athletics, artists began to make representations of the male nude
      Female nudity dtd not, however, foll Except In Sparta women Sparta women did not participate in athletics nor could ey attend Che games.
Women dancers and acrobats wore, at the minimum , 8 erlzomap+ and usually also a band covering the breasts. It is only after 400 B C. when attitudes toward women seem to have become some、vhat less restrictwe that artists sculpted some of the now-famous nude or partially nude statues of women such as the Venus de 2vtilo, although in earlier periods the ideal of the well-formed female body was clearly visible beneath the softly flowing draperies of the costume.