4,000 Years Old Ancient Babylonian Rare Erotic Art

Perhaps during this time the museum was considered a quiet and dusty place, and there was very little chance of finding anything exciting. However, in one corner of the Israel Archaeological Museum, in the collections section of the Ancient Near East, are two pottery plaques depicting rare erotic art.

The erotica is 4,000 years old or dates from the beginning of the second millennium BC, the Ancient Babylonian period. That is, the plaque was made 1,500 years before Kamasutra, the art of making love from India. These artifacts show that the Ancient Babylonian culture had a "noble" view of sex. This artifact at the same time reveals another side of ancient near eastern culture that is contrary to the values ​​prevalent in the modern Middle East today.

The ancient Near East is a term in the world of archeology that refers to the designation of early civilizations in the modern Middle East region today. The region includes Mesopotamia (Iraq and northeast Syria), Ancient Egypt, ancient Iran, Armenia, Anatolia (Turkey), and the Levant (Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Cyrpus and Crete).

Laura A. Peri, curator of Western Asiatic Antiquities, said Mesopotamian erotica was truly vulgar. "Not everything is, you know, missionary and that's it," said Peri, as reported by The Time of Israel.

The two pottery plaques were large enough to be held in the palm of the hand. The plaque depicts the couple having sex in incredible detail.

The first plaque depicts a man penetrating a woman from behind while standing. The second, slightly smaller, depicts a man and woman in the same position, but with a woman drinking beer from a jug using a straw.

According to Julia Assante, a Near Eastern social historian, the woman drinking beer in a jug using a straw and the man holding a cup of wine to his lips are symbols of performing oral sex on their respective partners.

The terracotta plaque from Mesopotamia depicts many different sexual positions. One of the most popular is what scientifically refers to in Latin as "coitus a tergo" or from behind. Anal sex was considered a popular form of contraception before the invention of prophylaxis against venereal disease.

Another plaque depicts the couple side by side, standing and the classic missionary position. Some depict women with outstretched legs and crouching on a cute big phallus.

Since such erotic clay plaques are found in temples, cemeteries and private homes, it is difficult to draw conclusions about their intended use. But what is clear, the plaque was popular in his day. Assante concluded, that it was all accessible to men, women and children.

Peri, a curator who is also an expert in understanding symbolism, said that depictions of erotic scenes are usually not the main image, nor are they only those of kings or officials. "It's kind of popular culture, because the materials are so cheap and easy to make," he said.

Peri explains, that ancient Mesopotamian texts are very explicit in detailing erotic art. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the great literary work of Mesopotamia, lauds sex as one of the pleasures of the world that humans must enjoy during the brief period of human life.

The literary work also depicts sexuality as a powerful force that distinguishes humans from animals. Enkidu, a savage man who becomes Gilgamesh's comrade-in-arms, is tamed by a temple prostitute who ensnares him with her sexual ruses.

Israeli and Canaanite artwork, by comparison, usually has very little sexuality, only nude female figures disappearing after the advent of Judaism in the eighth century BC.

For example, a Canaanite seal or seal from the middle of the second millennium BC, depicts a man and a woman in a standing posture similar to a clay plaque in the Israel Museum. However, the two figures were fully clothed, and there was no latent sexual intercourse, only suggestion. The seal shows a mix of ancient Canaanite and Egyptian cultures based on where it was found, namely at Tel el-Far'a, an archaeological site located 11 kilometers northeast of the Palestinian city, in the Samaria Mountains, as reported by tellelfara.com.

The similarities between the two are not too surprising. Ancient Israel was a land bridge that connected the two great civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Egypt and Mesopotamia. The culture of ancient Israel was greatly influenced by both. The striking difference, however, is in the ancient Babylonian and Israeli perspectives on male homosexuality.

Dr. Ilan Peled of The Hebrew University said there was scientific debate about what the purpose of erotic art was. Some have suggested that it was an object of votive for the worship of Ishtar, the goddess of love. Meanwhile Assante argues that it is like other terracotta amulets from the era, meant to ward off evil spirits. Meanwhile, other experts argue that it describes prostitution without any particular context.

"There's a chance we're just dealing with an early version of Playboy, Middle Eastern style," Peled said.

Source : The Time of Israel,Tell El-Far'a

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