The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians believed that the penis was more than just an interesting body part; it was sacred, and was the god within us. It was elevated beyond biology and religion to the esoteric heights of philosophy and art.

If we went back to ancient Greece we would find the landscape dotted with carved statues, along the roads, outside homes, and celebrating victories in market squares. But these were not the sort of statues you would expect to see today; no garden gnomes, or elderly gents on horseback. These statues, called 'hermae' consisted of a column topped with the carved head of Hermes and at the midpoint a healthy erection. For the Greeks the erect penis was a symbol of power and civilisation, rather than an embarrassment. It was no big deal for men to be seen naked in public, and what was considered flirting then, would now be called flashing, and get you arrested.

Like Athens, depictions of erections were everywhere in Rome. You would find them on paving stones, at public baths, on walls of private homes, all promoting good luck or warding off bad. One large wall relief in Pompeii shows an erect cock rising from two balls, with the inscription Hic Habitat Felicitas, or 'Here lives Happiness'.

In Rome, a boy would be given a locket containing a carved erect penis. Known as a fascinum, it signified the boy's status and the power of the man that he would become. It also marked him as off-limits to advances from adult men. The magic attributed to the erection endured, for during the First World War the Italian Prime Minister wore a fascinum on a bracelet to ensure victory by the Allies. Today anything as intriguing and as powerful as an erection is said to be 'fascinating'. The next time you hear someone say 'How fascinating!' think of the origin of the word, and try not to smirk.

Why did attitudes change? It was St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, back in the 4th century AD that screwed things up. After living a healthily lustful life, he saw the light, and came to the curious conclusion that Adam and Eve, before they sinned, had complete control over their sexual urges. The urge to procreate would have been about as exciting as deciding to have a cup of tea. But then that fateful sin and man was punished for evermore by the horrors of lust and uncontrollable erections. For the Greeks and Romans an erection was like an involuntary change in heartbeat, but not for Augustine; lust was a disease, and the symptom of that disease was the erection.

The sacred erection now became the corrupter of mankind. It was no longer respected and admired as the source of life and the god within us. From the fifth century on, Augustine's views became the dominant influence on Western religion and culture.

Augustine's influence is on the wane, however. Attitudes are changing. Never seen 35 years ago, we now have porn videos and magazines that glorify the erect penis. And are clubs like The Factory just places of lust where you can get your rocks off, or are they the new temples where the power of the penis is worshipped? It might be a while, though, before we see statues of hard-ons marking special occasions. The idea does appeal, though. How about eleven giant carved erections in Sandton Square honouring a South African victory in the Cricket World Cup? What would the feminists say?