Is oral sex a ‘cultural universal’, or are there societies that do not engage in this practice?
And has oral sex, in some form or another, been practiced throughout human history, or is it a more recent ‘invention’? As I understand it, daily bathing is a fairly recent phenomenon, and people at the turn of the century typically only bathed once a week. Under these circumstances, I can’t imagine that oral sex was common before the 20th century. Was it??
Thanks.
Some time ago, I saw a show on the history of sex. I seem to remember seeing a picture on the show from the middle ages of a man performing oral sex on a woman. The guy who was talking about it said something about it being a suprising discovery.
I know it was practiced in Ancient Greece. There are several pots on display in the Getty Museum in LA that depict a young boy performing oral sex on an older man.
It’s also my understanding that in the remains of the resort town of Pompeii, one of the houses of prostitution has various pictures of the sexual services it provides and I’m pretty sure fellatio is one of them.
See, for instance, History of Fellatio. It shouldn’t be assumed that historically people were invariably dirty; the Romans liked to bathe, and in early mediaeval times - up to the 1200s or so - mixed-sex public bathhouses were common in Europe.
I would wager that the modern obsession with bathing also created the modern aversion to body odor. Back in the day, the human aroma was ubiquitous, and people were much more tolerant of each other’s bouquet. Sexual attraction can be enhanced by the carnal scent, and those with an over-developed “ick” factor are the losers.
I somehow cabn’t imagine that it was only “discovered” in the 20th century, somehow. I was going to remark about cultures such as that of the Romans being quite keen on baths, but I see I have been beaten to it.
Hmm - just thought - what about that letter from Napoleon to Josephine saying he’d be home in a few days or a week or whatever and telling her please not to wash?
Thanks.
My line of reasoning here is that there doesn’t seem to be any oral sex ‘instinct’, but there does seem to be such an instinct for coitus. Therefore, it doesn’t seem likely that humans have been performing oral sex on one another for that long, otherwise it would come instinctively.
Does that sound reasonable?
There is no instinct for religion either, but people have been worshipping one god or another for a very long time.
Well, a lot of people suppose there is. I didn’t think it was something so easily settled (but please correct me if I’m wrong.)
The basic point is still valid though - people may not have found oral sex instinctively, but I guess it’s fairly obvious once you start playing around for a few hundred years trying to have orgasms 
More to the point, maybe some cultures have taboos against it.
What about the bible and sodomites and all that? I’m sure it has been around for a very very long time. I mean, how big of a leap in imagination is it to think that a warm soft tongue will feel good on your naughty bits? I can’t believe that people thousands of years ago would go :smack: Why didn’t I think of that!?!
-Tcat
You kids, you all think you invented (oral) sex.
I’d wager that cultures that practice female circumcision, especially in its more extreme forms, don’t practice cunnilingus. Other than that, I can’tcome up with a good reason why a culture wouldn’t practice oral sex.
C’mon, people have had the same parts and the same imaginations for a hell of a long time. I’m fairly sure that the idea occurred to someone (likely several someones) well before the Industrial Revolution.
Besides, some of us like the way our partners smell. The whole pheremone thing, you know. I love my husband’s scent. Not his soap, or his deodorant, or the few colognes I’m not allergic to, but him, sweat and all. His smell is exciting and vital and unbelievably arousing. And he tastes better when he’s not straight out of the shower.
Yeah, I’m sure any two lovers with any bit of curiosity and spare time would think of putting “this” “there” as opposed to “that” “here” after awhile, just to mix things up. Or if they’re not ready to do “this” they’ll start off with a little of “that”.
Cunnilingus was certainly practiced with great enthusiasm in the seventeenth century, if Thomas Carew’s A Rapture is anything to go by:
Surreal Does that sound reasonable?
Not really, given the antiquity of such practices (you did read the historical link I posted?) and that our close relatives the bonobos also do it; see this link on bonobo sexuality and its possible relevance to human behaviour.
As a friend once said, “no, some have perfected it!”
Crazy Cat Lady? could you talk to my husband please? I need more more more!!
Look at any book that covers the history of eroric art and you’ll see dozens of examples of oral sex in Japanese and Indian paintings and sculptures.
Well, as I remember it was pretty popular in the movie “Quest for Fire”.
Dragongirl, as I recall the program “History of Sex”, what was surprising about the diagram of oral sex, was that it was drawn in the margin of the Bible, by monks.
Well, considering that chimpanzees and bonobos have been observed performing oral sex, I don’t see an insurmountable barrier to humans having picked up the habit early and often.
No, some bureacratic cultures are restricted to written sex. 