The following images are a few select examples displaying how sex was portrayed in Mesopotamian art. Herodotus explains this particular custom was meant to ensure the fertility and continued prosperity of the community although his interpretation, and whether this practice even existed as he described it, have been challenged. The references to the com-parative material of defixiones are important and helpful in supporting the evidence of the papyri. My aim is to present and analyse the erotic and the separa-tion spells of the magical papyri. It is now on display at Museo Egizio in Turin. this category contains 13 erotic spells and 1 separation spell on papyrus and 36 erotic and 14 separation defixiones. An ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll-painting dating back to about 1150 BC, it was discovered at Deir el-Medina in the 19th century and was found to include various erotic vignettes which show sex positions.
![erotic papyrus erotic papyrus](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HrMAAOSwn-tZNuBB/s-l300.jpg)
Each woman had to perform this type of prostitution at least once in her life and it involved sitting outside the temple of Ishtar ( Inanna) and agreeing to have sex with the person who chose her. The Turin Erotic Papyrus has become famous due to its erotic content. For example, there was the marriage market, where women were auctioned off as brides, and a particular form of sacred prostitution. While sex was a part of one’s personal life there were also a couple of, what we would consider, odd customs observed. In Mesopotamia, sex was just another aspect of life and there was no shyness, or taboo involved in it. Pan copulating with goat, one of the best known objects in the Naples Museum collection. The following are a few select images of the artwork and artifacts found in the secret cabinet collection. A brick wall was even built over the doorway to keep the scenes from corrupting people. It is said when King Francis I of Naples visited with his wife and daughter in 1819 he was so shocked by the contents of the collection he had them locked away. The secret cabinet collection is now part of the Naples National Archaeological Museum. About one third of the drawing consists of figures. A linear border made of four parallel lines runs along the papyrus, both in the upper edge and at the bottom. long with the drawn part having an average height of 21 cm.
![erotic papyrus erotic papyrus](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/da/82/aa/da82aa2857357031b9f88c9127d426e1.jpg)
One of the most famous collections of erotic art from Roman culture is the artwork featured in the secret cabinet ( gabinetto segreto). The Erotic-satirical papyrus is about 3200 years old (dated between 11 b. The Secret Cabinetįor the Romans, sex was a part of their everyday lives, state affairs, religious rites, myths, even warfare, and featured prominently in their art. In ancient Rome there were artworks in living rooms or studies depicting erotic images of lovers performing various sexual acts and in ancient Mesopotamia mass-produced terracotta plagues would show couples having sex. To the causal observer, it seems the ancients were more open about their sexuality then we are today. Ancient art and archaeological remains have provided archaeologists and historians today with clues to how the ancients practiced their sexuality and their overall attitude toward sex.