Nudity, he remarks, was a
Greek, not an Etruscan, characteristic. "To the nudity of the
Spartan women I need but refer; the Thessalian women are
described by Persaeus dancing at banquets naked, or with a very
scanty covering (_apud_ Athenaeus, xiii, c. 86). The maidens of
Chios wrestled naked with the youths in the gymnasium, which
Athenaeus (xiii, 20) pronounces to be 'a beautiful sight.' And at
the marriage feast of Caranus, the Macedonian women tumblers
performed naked before the guests (Athenaeus, iv, 3)." (G. Dennis,
_Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria_, 1883, vol. i, p. 321.)
In Rome, "when there was at first much less freedom in this
matter than in Greece, the bath became common to both sexes, and
though each had its basin and hot room apart, they could see each
other, meet, speak, form intrigues, arrange meetings, and
multiply adulteries. At first, the baths were so dark that men
and women could wash side by side, without recognizing each other
except by the voice; but soon the light of day was allowed to
enter from every side. 'In the bath of Scipio,' said Seneca,
'there were narrow ventholes, rather than windows, hardly
admitting enough light to outrage modesty; but nowadays, baths
are called caves if they do not receive the sun's rays through
large windows.' ... Hadrian severely prohibited this mingling of
men and women, and ordained separate lavaera for the sexes.
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