Timeline of social nudity

This timeline of social nudity shows the varying degrees of acceptance given to the naked human body by diverse cultures throughout history. The events listed here demonstrate how various societies have shifted between strict and lax clothing standards, how nudity has played a part in social movements and protest, and how the nude human body is accepted in the public sphere.

Prehistory–1800

70,000 : Humans first wear clothing, a date suggested by evidence based on lice DNA which shows when the clothing louse first began to diverge genetically from the human head louse. 720 BCE: According to one legend, an athlete (Orsippos of Megara) who discards his loincloth wins his race at the Olympic Games. A variation of the legend asserts that the loincloth accidentally falls off a runner at the Olympics who trips on it, strikes his head, and dies. So, for reasons of either improved athletic performance or for safety, ancient Greek Olympic athletes compete naked. E: In Sparta, both women and men occasionally appear nude in certain festivals and during exercise. See Gymnopaedia. First century CE: Historian Diodorus Siculus records that the Celts commonly fight naked in battle. Nudity is mentioned several times in the New Testament, but none of the examples give it a sexual connotation. For example, refusal to wear clothes could be a sign of insanity during this period. Nakedness was also used as a symbol of poverty or vulnerability. There are a few New Testament references to nudity, such as () in which a young man runs away naked from the Garden of Gethsemane, and () where Peter is described as naked while he is fishing. Some say that the term means semi-naked, arguing that it is unlikely that a Jew would go completely unclothed in public, although others argue that fishermen in the Sea of Galilee did work naked.Neil, James. (1913). Everyday Life in the Holy Land. 100 CE–18th century: The Adamites are adherents of an early Christian sect that flourished in North Africa in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries, with later revivals. They practiced "holy nudism", claiming that its members were re-establishing Adam and Eve's state of original innocence. 201 AD: The first known liturgy of baptism is recorded by Saint Hippolytus of Rome, which insists on complete nudity for all participants, even down to the removal of jewellery and hair fastenings. Baptism is later segregated by sex, as suggested by a scene depicted on a 5th-century lead font, but still conducted on an unclothed participant. Christian groups, including the Adamites, Carpocratians, Aquarii, and Marcosians all practice social nudity at this time .One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Adamites". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 174. 393 CE: Students in ancient Greece exercise and receive instruction naked and athletes compete naked. This tradition ended in 393 CE when the Christian Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games because he considered them pagan. 632 CE: Quran teachings transmitted by Muhammad impose modest dress on men and women. : Leofric, Earl of Mercia imposes a heavy tax burden on the citizens of Coventry, England to support his grandiose public works. According to legend that is almost certainly untrue, his wife Godgyfu begs him to reduce the tax, and he tells her that she must ride naked through the city's market before he will do it. Godgyfu remembered as Lady Godiva, accepts the challenge. 1185–1333: In Kamakura-period Japan, religious bathing is provided to the public free of charge with no concept of gender segregation. After the collapse of free services, a for-pay system emerged which later evolved to become the modern-day sentō.

1800–1899

1900–1974

Siegelbaum, Lewis H. Soviet state and society between revolutions, 1918–1929. .Hamburg, Gary. Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism. The Teaching Company. .

Gymnosophy publication by American Gymnosophical Society Yale University Library Adventures in Many Lands-Autobiographical Memoirs of Maurice Parmelee, Yale University Library

AGA statement-History, Purposeful Development and Philosophical Outlook-by Katherine & Herman Soshinsky-circa 1950, collection of Rock Lodge Club.International Nude-Land Dec 1934 page30

Nudism in Nazi Germany: Indecent Behaviour or Physical Culture for the Well-being of the Nation, Authors: Krüger A.; Krüger F.; Treptau S., Source: The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 19, Number 4, December 1, 2002, pp. 33–54(22), Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

People v. Hildabridle 92 N.W.2d 6 (1958)

Sunshine Book Co. v. Summerfield, 355 U.S. 372 (1958)

PychCentral Nude psychotherpapy history by Marggarita Tartakovsky

Nude & Natural 18.4, more info in Cec. Cinder's The Nudist Idea.

1975–1989

[source: N 19.3] [source N 19.3] [source N 19.3]

[source: Paul Rapoport Dec 2003]

The Burning Man Project [source N 12.2]

1990–1999

While this decision was only binding within Ontario, it is considered highly influential, and has been referenced and upheld several times, including in other jurisdictions.

[source N 12.2] [source N 12.2] [source N 12.2] [source N 12.2]

[source: TERA] [source: Terri Sue Webb]

[source N 19.3] [source N 19.3]

2000–present

Repeating events Harvard Primal Scream at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (once each semester) Rainbow Family of Living Light's annual Gathering of the Tribes for World Peace and Healing Solstice Cyclists, Seattle, June World Naked Bike Ride

Timeline of social nudity

Bron en licentie