All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

sexuality

Top image:  Moche pottery depicting copulation.  Museo Larco – Lima, Perú

Sexuality and Nudity in Ancient Mesoamerica

The ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica left behind a rich artistic legacy that continues to captivate and intrigue modern scholars and enthusiasts. Among the myriad of themes that Mesoamerican art...
Medieval couple. Source: Dmytro Sandratskyi / Adobe Stock.

What Was Sex Really Like in the Middle Ages? (Video)

Contrary to popular belief, medieval attitudes towards sex were often far from puritanical. Surviving sources, largely influenced by the Catholic Church, give a skewed impression of the era. In...
Holy couple. Source: Paolo Gallo / Adobe Stock.

The Kama Sutra: It’s Not Just About Sex (Video)

The Kama Sutra , known for its acrobatic sex positions, is often misunderstood. Contrary to popular belief, it lacks explicit pictures and covers more than just sex . Translated from Sanskrit , it...
Erotic fresco in Pompeii. Source: Aleksandr / Adobe Stock.

Intimate Secrets: Pompeii's Forbidden Erotica Exposed (Video)

Within the National Archaeological Museum in Naples lies a captivating chamber known as the 'Secret Chamber,' where a remarkable assemblage of erotic art from Pompeii and Herculaneum is exhibited in...
Ancient cult prostitutes. Source: stockcrafter / Adobe Stock.

Ancient Goddess Cults and Temple Prostitution (Video)

In the depths of ancient civilizations, a peculiar practice intertwined sexuality with religious devotion. Revered as sacred, this ritual, known as sacred temple prostitution , involved engaging in...
The Japanese Waseda he-gassen handscroll depicted farts so powerful they could uproot trees. Source: Public domain

Fart Battles of the He-gassen Handscrolls Brought Toilet Humor to Life

Japanese art is full of surprises, including rowdy depictions of phallic contests, intercourse tournaments, and the unforgettable he-gassen fart battles. Bawdy, boisterous and downright delightful,...
Medieval sex was frequently restricted by the Catholic Church in many ways. Detail from The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, circa 1500. Source: Public Domain

Medieval Sex Rules - How Not to Have a Good Time

These days, sex is everywhere. It's in our books, films, songs, TV shows, and now, even our history articles. Although some countries still impose strict rules upon sex, the fact is most western...
The Galli: The Cross-Dressing Cybele Cult Priests Who Castrated Themselves

The Galli: The Cross-Dressing Cybele Cult Priests Who Castrated Themselves

The galli were priests who formed the cult of the goddess Cybele (Magna Mater in Rome) and her consort Attis. Because of the galli’s adoption of women’s clothing and jewelry, self-castration, and...
Moche pottery depicting copulation. Museo Larco – Lima, Perú

The Moche Uncensored! 15 Surprising Erotic Ceramics of Peru

The Moche were a mysterious civilization who ruled the northern coast of Peru beginning 2,000 years ago. Little was known about the Moche civilization until the 1980s when archaeologists began...
Marble body lines of young naked Roman women of Renaissance Era Source: Neurobite / Adobe Stock)

A Guide to Exploring Love, Sex, and Homosexuality in Ancient Rome

When people think about love and sex in ancient Rome, it tends to be pretty scandalous: orgies here, there, and everywhere! But the truth is rarely black and white. Were the Romans more sexually...
Spiritual Marriage and Holy Virginity: The Medieval Practice of Sexless Marriage

Spiritual Marriage and Holy Virginity: The Medieval Practice of Sexless Marriage

The institution of marriage dates back to almost the beginning of written history, with countless variations on how it has been practiced throughout the ages in different cultures and religions. The...
The Sacred Band of Thebes: Elite Fighters… and Lovers!

The Sacred Band of Thebes: Elite Fighters… and Lovers!

The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite fighting unit consisting of 300 Theban soldiers who were not only warriors but coupled lovers as well. According to the scholar Plutarch, the creation of the...
The Graveyard Prostitutes of Rome and Beyond

The Graveyard Prostitutes of Rome and Beyond

Ancient regulars of the world’s oldest profession may have grown bored with the “usual” items on the coitus menu. That may be why ancient Rome enjoyed a thriving sexual ecosystem with robust variety...
Medieval woman. Credit:  grape_vein / Adobe Stock

The World’s Oldest Talking Vagina is Discovered…in an Austrian Abbey!

The Vagina Monologues is a play written by Eve Ensler which featured on an Off-Broadway run in 1996 at Westside Theatre exploring consensual and nonconsensual sex, body image, genital mutilation, and...
Japanese erotic art. Credit: fotoember / Adobe Stock

Sex, Scandal, and Allure: The Erotic Art of Shun-ga from Edo to Early Modern Japan

In the year 1770, within a large village house by the bustling city of Edo, Japan (modern day Tokyo City), a large collective of apprentices studied under their teacher, Utagawa Toyoharu, in...
‘Sappho and Alcaeus’ (1881) by Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

Sappho: Putting Together Fragments to Gain an Image of the Tenth Muse

By Van Bryan/ Classical Wisdom Besides being born on the island of Lesbos around 630 BC, and this date is often disputed, surprisingly little is known about the life of the beloved poet Sappho. The...
Aristotle’s Masterpiece Completed in Two Parts.

Ancient X-Rated Book of Perversion Goes Up For Sale. Any Bidders?

A perverted "sex manual" featuring shocking magical and mythical X-rated content will be sold at a UK auction next month. The first edition of this sordid book entitled Aristotle's Masterpiece...
India, Rajasthan, 13th-14th century (Public Domain) and A 12th-century sandstone statue of a dancing Apsara from Uttar Pradesh, India.

What Really Happened in the Celestial Palace? Daughters of Pleasure, Courtesans of the Gods

It takes much willpower to resist the temptation of the asparas ; beautiful dancing women in the court of Indra, king of the gods, in the celestial palace in Hindu mythology. They are the heavenly...
Pan

The Failed Sex God: The Horned God Pan and His Unrequited Lusts

"The bounteous Pan, the god of rural scenery, shepherdi, and huntsmen," as the poet Milton calls him, is the Greek god of woods and fields. Originally a pastoral god from Arcadia and depicted as a...
Two youths engaged in sex, one of them holding a hoop. Detail from an amphora

The Truth About Sex in Ancient Greece

An exhibition at the British Museum promises to lift the lid on what beauty meant for the ancient Greeks. But while we gaze at the serene marble statues on display – straining male torsos and soft...
All images courtesy of Ashley Cowie

Sex Symbols of the Ancient World: Top Ten Sexually Explicit Caves, Mountains, Temples and Artifacts

If you are sensitive about matters pertaining to sex and sexuality it's probably best that you press the back button now. For those with a more exploratory attitude, what I hope you take away from...
Exposing the Secret Sex Lives of Famous Greeks and Romans in the Ancient World

Exposing the Secret Sex Lives of Famous Greeks and Romans in the Ancient World

In the ancient world, the public were not so privy to information about the scandalous sex lives of central societal figures. Still, sexual rumors have always existed and, in this way, historical...
Research Suggests that Monogamy Took Hold Due to Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Research Suggests that Monogamy Took Hold Due to Sexually Transmitted Diseases

In the animal world, monogamy refers to a pair that have an exclusive sexual relationship during the period of breeding and rearing of offspring. With respect to humans, it is a model of affective-...
A sex-themed vessel found in Peru. Museo Arqueologico, Lima, Peru.

Sex Pottery of Peru: Moche Ceramics Shed Light on Ancient Sexuality

The Moche were a mysterious civilization who ruled the northern coast of Peru beginning two thousand years ago. They built huge pyramids made of millions of mud bricks and created an extensive...