PDF Version. For centuries and in many different cultures around the world, men and women have utilized aphrodisiacs to enhance sexual attraction, arousal, and sexual relationships. This article traces the evolution of cultural traditions of medical intervention and sexual mysticism. … Continue reading
Category Archives: ancient cultures
How Culture Shapes Sexual Love and Its Lexicon
PDF Version. Is sexual desire a universal biological drive or merely a cultural construct? Although the evolutionary biology of human sexual desire is substantially similar, the linguistic and psychological frameworks people use to understand sexual attraction and desire vary significantly. … Continue reading
Companionate Love in Times of Crisis
PDF Version In times of crisis, companionate love—rooted in friendship and shared struggles—reveals its power. The story of David and Jonathan told in book of 1 Samuel 18:1–4, 19:1–7, and 20:1–42 in the Old Testament (King James Bible, 2024) is … Continue reading
Milk Jug Symbolizes Love among the Turkana People
PDF version A milk jug is an object with an evident utilitarian function—consumption. Yet, the nomadic pastoralist women of northwestern Kenya cherish their traditional milk jug, the akirum, as a profound aesthetic masterpiece. What is so special about milk and … Continue reading
Sex and the Sacred in North American Indigenous Art
PDF version Is sexual love only a biological impulse or a desire for the divine? While traditional study tends to look at the art of the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast within a narrow framework of tribe crests and … Continue reading
How the Australian Bullroarer Invokes the Happiness of Sexual Love
PDF version Aboriginal Australians have long held the profound belief that the tjurunga—the bullroarer—brings happiness to both life and lovemaking. But how does a simple ritual object hold such immense power? This fascinating article explores how anthropologists uncovered the symbolic … Continue reading
The Indian Myth of Kamadeva, the Hindu God of Love
Many modern Western symbols of love date back to the early Greeks and Romans. Eros was the Greek god of love, while Cupid was the Roman god of love and desire. The image of a chubby Cupid aiming love arrows … Continue reading
When Ancient People Began to Kiss for Love
Anthropological studies of modern societies have revealed that sexual and romantic kisses are not universally present across different cultures. Such a display of affection as kissing was once considered obscene. Who first thought of kissing as a way to show … Continue reading
A Woman Should Enjoy Her Body in Bed
In the poems of Ars Amatoria, Ovid taught Roman men and women the art of love. For example, in one of his poems, he advised a woman that she should enjoy her body in bed. The Roman poet Ovid lived … Continue reading
The Way You Eat and Drink Affects Your Love Affairs
The excerpts from Ovid’s “Ars Amatoria” suggest that in love affairs, women should be mindful of what and how they eat and drink. Many scholars are familiar with the writings of Ovid, the ancient Roman poet. He rose to prominence … Continue reading