205ARGUE

206 . O'Brien, "The Naked Truth" 46.
207 . Officially recognized nude beaches are common in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, The
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland, Russia, and
Cuba; but the U.S. casts its lot with China, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, and much of Central and South America in
condemning nude recreation (O'Brien, "The Naked Truth" 46).
208 . Baxandall, World Guide to Nude Beaches and Resorts 194.
209 . "Losses on Germany's Nude Coast" 33-35.
210 . "The Ostsee Beaches" 34.
211 . For a thorough review of the perceptions of nudity throughout history, see Ribeiro.
212 . There is some debate about when nudity became commonplace among men in ancient Greek society. Myles
McDonnell points out that "Bronze Age archaeology [specifically, Minoan era artwork] and the Homeric poems
make it fairly certain that athletic nudity was not practiced before the late 8th century [B.C.]." However, nudity
seems to have been commonplace among male athletes by the mid 6th century B.C., a fact supported both by vase
artistry and the writings of Thucydides and Plato. McDonnell concludes, "whatever its origin, it seems that nude
exercising was generally practiced by the mid sixth century [B.C.] at Athens and probably earlie r in sports and at the
Olympic games." (McDonnell 182, 184, 193) Women were not naked in public in Athens; however, Spartan
women participated nude in some rituals and athletic events, and in certain circumstances had the freedom of partial
nudity in their social dress. See Bonfante, "The Naked Greek," 30-33, and "Nudity as a Costume," 554, 559;
Ribeiro 20; Renbourn 13.
213 . Bonfante, "Nudity as a Costume" 546-47, 551-58; Wilkinson 85-96; McDonnell 193; Warren 161.
214 . Miles 34.
215 . The famous Ravenna mosaic, for instance, clearly depicts Christ being baptized nude. See also Giovanni di
Paoloi's 15th century painting "The Baptism of Christ."