Rhaphanidosis is the act of inserting the root of a plant of the genus ''

Raphanus ''Raphanus'' (Latin for "radish") is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. Carl Linnaeus described three species within the genus: the cultivated radish (''Raphanus sativus''), the wild radish or jointed charlock (''Raphanus ra ...

'' (commonly known as a

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw ...

) into the anus. It is mentioned by

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his for ...

as a punishment for

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

in Classical Athens in the fifth and fourth century BC. It is also allegedly a punishment for other sex-related crimes, such as promiscuity and

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sod ...

. 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. There is some doubt as to whether the punishment was ever enforced or whether the reference to it in the debate between Right and Wrong in ''

The Clouds ''The Clouds'' ( grc, Νεφέλαι ''Nephelai'') is a Greek comedy play written by the playwright Aristophanes. A lampooning of intellectual fashions in classical Athens, it was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423BC and was not ...

'' of

Aristophanes, ''The Clouds''
line 1083: Τί δ᾿ ἢν ῥαφανιδωθῇ πιθόμενός σοι τέφρᾳ τε τιλθῇ. should be understood as signifying

public humiliation Public humiliation or public shaming is a form of punishment whose main feature is dishonoring or disgracing a person, usually an offender or a prisoner, especially in a public place. It was regularly used as a form of judicially sanctioned puni ...

in general. However, Nigette Spikes has it that when enforced as a capital punishment, tubers so deposited were chosen to be as rough as possible so as to cause death by internal hemorrhaging.

References

* Danielle S. Allen, ''The world of Prometheus: the politics of punishing in democratic Athens'',

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...

, 2002, , p. 214. * C. Carey, "Return of the radish or just when you thought it safe to go back into the kitchen," Liverpool Classical Monthly, vol.18 no.4 (1993) pp. 53–5. * Charles Platter, "Aristophanes and the carnival of genres", JHU Press, 2007, , p. 79. * James Davidson
''Clinging to the Sides of a Black, Precipitous Hole''
'' London Review of Books'', vol.22 no.16 (24 August 2000) * Vincent J. Rosivach
''Sources of Some Errors in Catullan Commentaries''
''

Transactions of the American Philological Association ''Transactions of the American Philological Association'' (TAPA) is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1869 and the official publication of the American Philological Association. It covers the history, culture, and language of ancient ...

'', Vol.108 (1978) pp. 203–216 *

Eva Cantarella Eva Cantarella (born 1936 in Rome) is an Italian classicist. She is professor of Roman law and ancient Greek law at the University of Milan, and has served as Dean of the Law School at the University of Camerino. Biography Cantarella is known for ...

, ''Pandora's daughters: the role and status of women in Greek and Roman antiquity'', Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, {{ISBN, 0-8018-3385-X, p. 123 *

Kenneth Dover Sir Kenneth James Dover, (11 March 1920 – 7 March 2010) was a distinguished British classical scholar and academic. He was president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1976 to 1986. In addition, he was president of the British Academy fro ...

: ''Greek homosexuality.'' London 1978 * David Cohen: ''A note on Aristophanes and the Punishment of Adultery in Athenian Law.'' In: ''Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte: Romanistische Abteilung.'' Issue 102, 1985, p. 385–387 Ancient Greek law Corporal punishments Radishes Anus

See also

References