The Dildo: A Sex Toy with Heritage

Dildo: a phallic shaped sex toy, manufactured in all shapes and sizes for vaginal penetration. The dildo could be perceived in a modern day context just as any other erotic toy but this humble phallus has a history woven into the society of many ages with reference and examples from Cassical, Egyptian, Greek and even Paleolithic times.

The origins of the word Dildo is open to some debate, perhaps due in part to its occurrence in many languages spanning different times. “Dildo” was originally a reference to a phallic shaped peg used to secure an oar into the side of a boat, which does resemble the modern day dildo, as we perceive it. Others argue that the word dildo originates from the Italian ‘Diletto’ meaning delight, which was woven into the literature of 17th Century through the works of Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, most notably in the work of libertine John Wilmot with his poem ‘Signior Dildo’ . Olisbos originates from the Greek language as a classical term for the dildo, which in fact refers to the realistic dildos of today with penis and balls.

So you see Dildo’s are indeed the Old School of orgasm enhancers and the founding fathers of the sex toys we enjoy today. If you scratch the surface the dildo has been amongst most societies in one form or another throughout history. An Archaeological dig has unearthed a dildo from the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 years ago) and literature even illustrates a double dildo from the 19th Century Zanzibar. The Greeks and Egyptians both used dildos and a vase made in the 5th Century BC depicts a woman using a dildo on the front.
Lets face it ladies were certainly doing it for themselves way before we ever discovered the joys of toys and the modern day adult market only reflects the basic human sexual drive which spawned similar erotic implements thousands of years ago.

The first dildos were made from natural material such as stone, tar, and wood. It’s amusing to think that these natural materials are being used again today with glass dildos, ceramic dildos and wooden dildos offering healthy ‘eco friendly’ sex toy choices within designer sex toy brands. The invention of modern materials has heralded an explosion of dildo choices but we shouldn’t forget its roots and that people are the same over whatever part of history we inhabit.