Ten bizarre facts about love, sex, and marriage in ancient Egypt.
One thing that?s been there since the dawn of time is sex. It tells us a lot about people, their behavior, and their culture. Ancient Egypt was without a doubt one of the greatest civilizations ever, but it was weird too. Those people were unique, exotic, and unusual in every way. There were a lot of unorthodox practices and bizarre beliefs that surprise the people of today.
Ancient Egyptians had strict rules when it came to adultery and they used various forms of birth control as well. Historians tell us that they used to keep account of their practices which paved the way for sexual intercourse advancement in the centuries afterward. It?s true that Romans and Greeks were unique in their own way when it came to sex but Egyptians were on a whole different level.
I?ve compiled a list of ten bizarre facts about love, sex, and marriage in ancient Egypt. that surprised me. Give them a read and let me know what you think.
Weird Methods of Birth Control
Using birth controls was pretty common in ancient Egypt. And like the modern world, they had some degree of awareness regarding family planning as well. Although they didn?t have birth control pills or condoms that we have today, they came up with other methods of birth control.
One method was using gum made from acacia tree sap to ?cover the mouth of the womb? during sexual intercourse. Another method was applying a combination of honey and sodium bicarbonate to the inside of the vagina. The weirdest method was using a diaphragm of sorts made of crocodile dung, acacia, honey, and dates.
A ?Vibrator? Made Out Of Bees
Cleopatra was one of the rulers in ancient Egypt. She loved sex and pleasing herself. She had an illegitimate child with Julius Caesar. She had other lovers too but she found different ways to entertain herself when she was alone.
It is said that Cleopatra filled either an empty papyrus box or a hollowed-out gourd with bees and then used that device as a vibrator. Oh my God? Let me make one thing clear, this is not a verifiable fact but there are several accounts that mention this story.
Ancient Egyptians on Incest
Well you see, this is what creeps me out. The common people in ancient Egypt did not engage in incest. However, Egyptian royalty and their gods used to marry and have children with their siblings. The royalty basically loved to emulate the gods, if their gods engaged in incest, they did it too. And trust me, their gods were all about incest. Gods and Goddesses like Orisis and Isis, Tefnut and Shu, Nephthys and Seth were all brother-sister couples
Prostitution was Considered Sacred
Prostitution in ancient Egypt was considered a divine and respectable act that was done to please the gods. Prostitutes enjoyed a relatively high status in Egyptian society. Unlike the prostitution of today, they were allowed to work freely and openly. They used to signify themselves by wearing red lipstick and getting tattooed.
Many accounts from early historians and scholars tell us that prostitution was an extremely common practice in ancient Egypt and was considered more like a business. Prostitutes from other parts of the world used to come to Egypt because here they didn?t have to face any restrictions.
Not a virgin? That?s fine.
Unlike other ancient cultures and traditions, the ancient Egyptians didn?t put much emphasis on virginity. If you married a virgin, good, but if you didn?t, that?s fine too. No one really cared about that. Marrying a virgin didn?t have any significance, neither culturally nor religiously. I recently wrote about sex in ancient Rome, if you read that you?d know how crazy they were about virginity. Anyways, the Egyptians weren?t.
Extramarital Affairs & Divorce
Ancient Egyptians were okay with premarital sex but they believed that once you?re married, you must respect that union. They put more emphasis on women because they considered a married woman to be sacred so an extramarital affair was taboo especially if you were a woman.
The punishments of those found guilty of infidelity were very harsh. From getting whipped, mutilated, and in some cases even executed, everything was on the table. Things were not so harsh for married men. If a married man was found guilty of sleeping with an unmarried woman, he only had to deal with shame from society.
Getting divorced in ancient Egypt was not that simple. In fact, divorce was allowed only under two conditions:1. Childlessness2. Infidelity committed by the wife
Oral Comes from Ancient Egypt?
The ancient Egyptian mythology talks a lot about Resurrection of Osiris. It is without a doubt the first know record of oral sex in history. The story tells us that God Seth murders his brother Osiris and chops him into small pieces. Isis, their sister gathers all parts of her brother hoping to resurrect him.
She was able to reassemble all his parts but the penis was missing. She then makes a new penis from clay and blows into it. This action then brings Osiris back to life.
Genitalia and Circumcision
It was a common practice in ancient Egypt to wear amulets which were shaped to represent male and female genitalia. To them, it was a sign of prosperity and fertility. Some of the reliefs embedded into tombs and stones dating back to 2500 BCE tell us that those people were quite concerned about the practice of circumcision.
A scholar from the University of Lisbon, Paul Veiga states that,
?[in] surgical terms, circumcision may be the oldest known surgery in Egypt.?
The Greek historian Herodotus also mentions priests undergoing circumcision and shaving on a regular basis on many accounts. Some historians also believe that the boys were circumcised at a very young age because ancient Egyptians saw this act as a rite of passage.
Semen Comes From The Spine?
The ancient Egyptians had a very weird understanding of semen and where it came from in our bodies. I mean they knew from where it got discharged lol, but perhaps not where it originated. They thought that the spine was the organ that produced semen. This hallowed substance played a very important spiritual role in many Egyptian myths. They believed that it came from a very specific and holy vertebra in the spinal cord. This myth was considered a fact for many years afterward. Even the great philosopher Plato believed it. He called semen,
A soft flow from the spine.
These were some of the many bizarre facts that I found interesting about sex and sexuality in ancient Egypt. Some make sense but some don?t. We can never be sure what was thinking about all these traditions and myths. But one thing I?m sure about is that I?m glad I wasn?t born back then.
References
?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra??https://listverse.com/2018/09/19/10-bizarre-sexual-facts-from-ancient-egypt/??https://www.ancient.eu/article/934/love-sex-and-marriage-in-ancient-egypt/??https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-egypt/love-sex-and-marriage-in-ancient-egypt/??https://www.ranker.com/list/intimacy-in-ancient-egypt/donn-saylor?