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LGBTQ+ in the Ancient World
In the cultures of the ancient world, there was no need for designations such as LGBTQ+ because there was no difference noted between what is now defined as "homosexual" and "heterosexual" relationships. There was no "us" and "them" dichotomy...
Article
Love, Sex, & Marriage in Ancient Greece
Love, sex, and marriage in ancient Greece are portrayed in Greek literature as distinct, yet closely intertwined, elements of life. For many upper-class men, marriages did not take place for love, and other relationships, be it with men or...
Article
Love, Sex, & Marriage in Ancient Mesopotamia
Medical texts from ancient Mesopotamia provide prescriptions and practices for curing all manner of ailments, wounds, and diseases. There was one malady, however, which had no cure: passionate love. From a medical text found in the Library...
Article
New Gilgamesh Fragment: Enkidu's Sexual Exploits Doubled
Sometimes it is the smallest discoveries that have the largest impact. When Alexandra Kleinerman and Alhena Gadotti found a new fragment of the Epic of Gilgamesh in 2015 CE, it did not seem to be particularly impressive. The broken tablet...
Article
The Christian Concept of Human Sexuality as Sin
In the ancient world, human sexuality was crucial for the survival of the tribe and clan as well as pleasurable, a gift from the gods. Thousands of native cults emphasized fertility through rituals and prayers, and ancient gods were depicted...
Article
The Egyptian Amulet: Pious Symbols of Spiritual Life
Material Objects & Cultures Material objects convey volumes about the people who possessed them. Cultures and societies in every generation are in part classified - either correctly or incorrectly - by the objects or symbols they...
Video
Jerry Cooper | Everything You've Always Wanted to Know about Sex in Babylonia . . .
Everything You've Always Wanted to Know about Sex in Babylonia . . . Lecture by Jerry Cooper, W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages Emeritus, The Johns Hopkins University This breezy look at 3000 years of sex in ancient Mesopotamia...
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Mastaba of Niankhkhnum & Khnumhotep
Wall-painting from the tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, two royal officials who have been identified as possibly brothers or a same-sex couple. Reign of Nyuserre Ini, late 25th Century BCE. Saqqara, Egypt.
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Roman Lamp Showing Lovers in Bed
The scene on this terracotta lamp depicts a man and woman having sex. Said to be from near Naples, in modern-day Italy. Roman period, made in Italy, about 10-30 CE. (The British Museum, London).
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Erotic Terracotta Plaque
This terracotta plaque dates back to the old Babylonian period. It depicts a male and female having sex while the woman drinks a fluid (beer?) from a jar through a straw. Such scenes were mass-produced in southern Mesopotamia during the old...