Historians debate how many penises are depicted on an ancient tapestry from Bayeux
25 April 21:49
Historians argue about how many penises are depicted on the famous Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered canvas that tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
The Guardian writes about this, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Six years ago, Oxford University professor George Garnett estimated that there are 93 penises on the tapestry: 88 of them belong to horse figures and the rest to human figures. Now the tapestry’s researcher, Dr. Christopher Monk, known as the Medieval Monk2, has announced that he has found the 94th.
The tapestry depicts a man running, and something can be seen hanging under his tunic. Garnett believes it is a sheath for a sword or dagger, while Monk insists it is a man’s penis, and “the anatomical detail of the tapestry is very convincing.”
Both historians take the debate seriously. Garnett explains that their goal is to better understand how people thought in the Middle Ages. He believes that the author of the tapestry was highly educated and deliberately encoded literary allusions in the embroidery that question the official history of the conquest of England.
“The whole point of studying history is to understand how people thought in the past. And medieval people were not rude, unpretentious, stupid people. On the contrary,” Garnett says.
According to Garnett, size had a symbolic meaning on the tapestry. For example, the battle leaders William the Conqueror and Harold Godwinson are depicted on horses with noticeably larger genitals, which symbolized strength and status-and this is no accident.
Dr. David Musgrove, host of the HistoryExtra podcast, explains that the new theory confirms that the Bayeux Tapestry is a multi-layered work of art that, even almost a thousand years after its creation, retains its mysteries for researchers.
The Bayeux Tapestry is a 70-meter-long 11th-century embroidery that depicts in detail the Norman conquest of England in 1066, including the Battle of Hastings. The story begins with Harold Godwinson swearing allegiance to William, but eventually becoming king himself, leading to a bloody confrontation. This is an invaluable monument that shows how medieval Europeans saw the world and events of their time.
