I've just been transcribing the fragments of the Derveni papyrus (4th century BCE, text probably dates to late 5th century), and column 13 happens to address precisely this. The author is an atheist philosopher commenting on an Orphic poem, and treating the poem as an allegory for various natural processes. Here's Richard Janko's translation of the relevant bit -- I adjust it towards the end to take account of a more recent edition of the Greek text:

(Orpheus) makes it clear by saying as follows:

(Zeus) swallowed the penis (of Sky) that first had egested the ether.

Since (Orpheus) is giving hints about reality throughout his composition, one must discuss it verse by verse. He used this verse, likening the sun to a genital organ, because he saw that people believe that generation resides in genitals, and does not arise without genitals. For without the sun it would have been impossible for the things that exist to have come to be as they are, and when the things that exist had come about... to be deserted... in the same way all things through the sun... nor for the things that exist...

Now, I have no doubt that the author was misreading the poem, and this is obviously not scientific by any stretch, but it's certainly a view of life's dependence on the sun's that is informed by natural philosophy of the time.