Rhaphanidosis
Encyclopedia
Rhaphanidosis is the act of inserting the root of a plant of the raphanus
genus (commonly known as horseradish) into the anus
. It is reported to have been a punishment for adultery
in ancient Athens
of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. There is some doubt as to whether the punishment was ever enforced or whether the references to it in comic plays (such as the debate between Right and Wrong in The Clouds
of Aristophanes
) should be understood as signifying public humiliation in general.
In order to be allowed to apply rhaphanidosis to an adulteror, one must catch the man in the act of adultery with one's own wife, in one's own house. Rhaphanidosis was not the only penalty available; sodomy
by mulletfish was common as well, or the man could simply be killed on the spot. Following this, the adulterous wife would have to be divorced.
Later classical references to the punishment include Catullus 15 where percurrent raphanique mugilesque (both radishes and mullets will run you through) is threatened against those who cast lascivious eyes on the poet's boyfriend.
The classification of the raphanus genus is currently not well agreed upon, but during the antique and medieval times, all kinds of horseradish
es and similar plants were commonly included in this genus.
Raphanus
Raphanus is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. Two or three species are currently classified in Raphanus. They include the cultivated radish, Raphanus sativus and the common wild radish or jointed charlock, R. raphanistrum. Some authors accept the podding or rattail radish, R...
genus (commonly known as horseradish) into the anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
. It is reported to have been a punishment for adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
in ancient Athens
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. There is some doubt as to whether the punishment was ever enforced or whether the references to it in comic plays (such as the debate between Right and Wrong in The Clouds
The Clouds
The Clouds is a comedy written by the celebrated playwright Aristophanes lampooning intellectual fashions in classical Athens. It was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423 BC and it was not well received, coming last of the three plays competing at the festival that year. It was revised...
of Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
) should be understood as signifying public humiliation in general.
In order to be allowed to apply rhaphanidosis to an adulteror, one must catch the man in the act of adultery with one's own wife, in one's own house. Rhaphanidosis was not the only penalty available; sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
by mulletfish was common as well, or the man could simply be killed on the spot. Following this, the adulterous wife would have to be divorced.
Later classical references to the punishment include Catullus 15 where percurrent raphanique mugilesque (both radishes and mullets will run you through) is threatened against those who cast lascivious eyes on the poet's boyfriend.
The classification of the raphanus genus is currently not well agreed upon, but during the antique and medieval times, all kinds of horseradish
Horseradish
Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to south eastern Europe and the Arab World , but is popular around the world today...
es and similar plants were commonly included in this genus.