Explore the history of sex and sexuality across ancient civilizations, from masturbation and sexual practices to relationships, contraception, erotic art, beliefs, and changing cultural attitudes. Discover what history reveals about human sexuality.
Few diseases have changed modern society as profoundly as HIV/AIDS. Since AIDS was first recognized in the early 1980s, the epidemic has claimed millions of lives, transformed public health, challenged governments, and changed how the world thinks about infectious diseases, sexuality, discrimination, and medical research. But HIV did not suddenly appear in the 1980s. Its…
Sexually transmitted infections have existed for thousands of years, long before modern medicine understood bacteria, viruses or how infections spread. Ancient physicians described unusual genital symptoms, painful urination, sores and discharges, but they often interpreted them through the medical beliefs of their time. This raises an important historical question: What was the first sexually transmitted…
Condoms are among the oldest forms of birth control in human history. Today, they are widely recognized as a simple and effective method of preventing pregnancy and reducing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. But the modern condom is the result of centuries of experimentation. Who invented the first condom? The answer is not as…
Sexual positions are often treated as a modern subject, but the human fascination with intimacy, pleasure and sexual behavior is thousands of years old. Ancient civilizations recorded ideas about sexual relationships in literature, art, medical writings and religious traditions. Among the most famous historical sources is the Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text traditionally associated…
Anal sex is often discussed as a modern sexual practice, but historical evidence shows that it was known in the ancient world thousands of years ago. Ancient Greek and Roman writers, artists and legal traditions left behind references that help historians understand how people thought about sex, pleasure, gender, social status and morality. However, one…
Masturbation is often discussed as a modern subject, but the practice itself is far older than modern medicine, psychology, or even recorded history. Across different civilizations, people developed very different ideas about self-pleasure. Some cultures connected it with creation and fertility, others treated it humorously, while later religious and medical traditions sometimes condemned it as…