10 sexual traditions of the Ancient world that will shock a modern person

Although conservatives claim that modern society has become too free in its mores in comparison with pious ancestors, some of the sexual practices of the ancients look too extravagant today. In this review, we will talk about the shocking sexual traditions of ancient civilizations.

The ancient pre-Islamic Arabs had a strange custom — "a wife for rent". This custom existed not only for political or economic benefits, it was a kind of early form of eugenics. Such an occupation was practiced mainly by low-ranking families who wanted their children and grandchildren to become more noble. Wives were rented to men who held a high position in society, only they were allowed to have sexual relations with someone else's wife. Children born from such conception were considered the children of the spouse, not the biological father, but the social status of the family increased. Renting out a wife was quite simple — the husband sent the woman to the house of the person who liked her. She stayed there until she got pregnant.

When educational institutions in the version familiar to modern man in Ancient Greece did not yet exist and the main way of educating young people was tutoring, sodomy flourished in society. For the ancient Cretans, it was even romantic in nature.

When a loving resident of Crete noticed a young man he liked very much, he had to first notify the boy's friends that he intended to take him as a lover. This official offer allowed the chosen one to either hide if he did not want to get involved, or reverently prepare for his symbolic abduction.

The cornerstone of Taoism is the life force of qi, which permeates all things. Taoist philosophy generally divides qi into two components — yin and yang (positive and negative energy). By maintaining a balance between these two forces, one can supposedly achieve perfect spiritual harmony and physical well-being.

When it comes to the human body, qi takes the form of jing (the essence that gives us life), and Taoists believe that the loss of jing can lead to illness and even death. Most of all, the jing, according to the Taoists, is contained in the male seed. Adherents of Taoism believed that a man should not spend too much sperm. In this regard, ancient Chinese men were advised not to ejaculate during sex.

The first mention of fellatio dates back to the ancient Egyptian myth of the resurrection of Osiris. The story goes that Osiris was killed by his brother Set, who cut him into pieces and scattered them all over the world. Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris, went around the world to collect all the parts of her beloved and bring him back to life. But unfortunately, she couldn't find Osiris' penis. Therefore, Isis fashioned a male organ out of clay and breathed life into Osiris through it.

It is thanks to this myth that fellatio was not considered by the ancient Egyptians as something immoral. It is worth noting that the Egyptians used red lipstick to advertise their experience in providing oral pleasure.

And the ancient Romans, unlike the Egyptians, were categorically against oral sex. There was a widespread belief among the Romans that those who do blowjob have bad breath. The man known as the fellator has never been invited to visit. However, the Romans successfully used slaves to get oral pleasure.

The ancient Egyptians believed in the myth of the creation of the universe by the god Atum (or Ra). It said that initially the world was a black chaos, from which the egg was formed. From this egg the god Atum arose. Apparently, the first thing Atum did when he was born was to masturbate. From his seed were born the gods who helped him create the universe and rule over it.

Since the ancient Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was the representative of the god Ra on earth, he had to perform some obligatory rituals, one of which was the annual ritual of staging the creation of the Universe by Atum. During the festival, the Pharaoh, along with his subjects, had to go to the bank of the Nile, undress and perform an act of masturbation. Special emphasis was placed on the fact that the pharaoh's sperm got into the river, and not on the ground. Then a similar action was performed by all the others who came to the ceremony. The Egyptians believed that in this way they were feeding the life-giving power of the river, which would provide them with a good harvest for the next year.

Archaeologists claim that toys for adults were very popular among the ancients. The age of the oldest stone dildo is estimated at 26,000 years. And the Egyptian queen Cleopatra even used a vibrator made of a hollow pumpkin filled with live bees.

The ancient Greeks and Romans not only used dildos, but also tried to modernize them in every possible way. They pulled leather covers over wooden and stone sex toys. According to extant written sources of that time, Greek women staged a sex strike during the Peloponnesian War due to the fact that the import of high-quality leather dildos stopped.

The ancient Greeks and Romans considered the idea of same-sex sexual behavior quite natural, therefore, the concept akin to the modern "homosexual" simply did not exist. But there was a cult of masculinity. It was believed that a real man should always take the lead in sex. In turn, the passive partner assumed the female role, and he was treated with some disdain in society.

The upper Maya castes were very practical in raising their sons. They believed that it was the parents' responsibility not only to provide them with financial and emotional support, but also to satisfy the sexual needs of the children.

When sons from noble families reached adulthood, their parents looked for the most beautiful young men from commoner families to be their sons' sexual partners before marriage. This union between boys was considered akin to actual marriage and recognized by law. The Mayan boys even lived with each other until they got married, around the age of 20. Homosexual relations between boys were officially legalized, but even men from noble families were severely punished for rape.

The philosopher Herodotus, talking about the rituals of the Assyrians, mentioned prostitution. This occupation, according to him, was not only legal in Ancient Assyria, but also mandatory for all unmarried women. The fact is that the Assyrians had a very popular cult of Aphrodite, or, as they also called her, Militta, Ishtar. Therefore, they believed that in order for a woman to receive the grace of the goddess, she should have sex with strangers in the temple of Aphrodite. Every woman in the Assyrian Empire, from royalty to beggars, had to participate at least once in her life in this sacred rite in the temple of Aphrodite.

The practice of having sex with animals is as ancient as humanity itself. On the bone rods, which are about 25,000 years old, you can see scenes in which a lioness licks the genitals of women and men. Images dating back to the seventh century BC, in which a man has sex with a donkey, were found on the wall of a cave in Italy. And even in the Bible there are direct references to bestiality.

It is known for certain that rich women in ancient Rome kept snakes for sexual pleasures, and men raped animals in the Colosseum.

Unlike the ancient Romans, who practiced sex with animals for pleasure or entertainment, the ancient Greeks were seen in bestiality for religious reasons. They turned this act into a central rite during the bacchanalia and made it part of the ceremony in the temple of Aphrodite.