Kynodesme

A kynodesmē (Greek: κυνοδέσμη, English translation: "dog tie") was a cord or string[1] or sometimes a leather strip that was worn primarily by athletes in Ancient Greece and Etruria to prevent the exposure of the glans penis in public (considered to be ill-mannered) and to restrict untethered movement of the penis during sporting competition.

As depicted in Ancient Greek art the kynodesme was worn by some athletes, actors, poets, symposiasts and komasts.

[1] The public exposure of the penis head was regarded by the Greeks as dishonourable and shameful, something only seen in slaves and barbarians.

[1] Modesty and decency demanded that men who showed themselves naked in a public setting, such as athletes or actors, must conceal their glans.

[4] It is first alluded to in literature in the 5th century BC, in the partially preserved satyr play Theoroi by Aeschylus.