The World's First Kiss for 'Sexual Pleasure' Happened 4,500 Years Ago

Results 1000 Years Earlier Than Previous Studies

A study has found that humans have been kissing to express intimacy and sexual affection for at least 4,500 years. This is about 1,000 years earlier than previously known. The history of love through kissing is also believed to have influenced the spread of human infectious diseases.

According to research by Professor Troels Arbol of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Dr. Sophie Rasmussen of the University of Oxford in the UK, kissing became an established cultural practice as early as 4,500 years ago in the ancient Mesopotamian region. In their article published on the 18th (local time) in the journal Science, they stated, "Kissing was universally practiced across various regions and cultures."

Babylonian clay tablet depicting a man and woman kissing.
[Photo by The Trustees of the British Museum]

Until now, the earliest record of kissing with sexual meaning was believed to be from around 1500 BCE in Indian literature from the Bronze Age, but this new finding pushes that back by more than 1,000 years.

Scholars had speculated that in ancient societies, kissing with sexual connotations was not widespread. While it was commonly practiced as a sign of friendship or familial intimacy, kissing as an expression of affection between lovers was not considered universal.

However, the research team from Denmark and others found records of kissing based on clay tablets left by the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. The Mesopotamians recorded in Sumerian and Akkadian languages, and early Sumerian texts linked kissing to sexual acts.

In Akkadian texts, mentions of kissing were described as acts of familial affection or love between lovers. Professor Arbol stated, "Kissing was not a custom that started in one region and spread, but rather it was practiced across multiple ancient cultures over thousands of years."

[Image source=Pixabay]

The researchers also noted, "In this process, kissing sometimes had the unintended consequence of spreading infectious diseases such as herpes simplex virus."

Representative examples include Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1), known as the herpes virus, and Parvovirus B19. These viruses are primarily transmitted through saliva, so it is possible that viruses spread through kissing even in ancient civilizations.

The research team speculates that the disease called ‘Bushanu’ mentioned in ancient medical texts was an infectious disease similar to HSV-1. Professor Arbol said, "Considering records that describe blisters forming inside or around the mouth when infected with Bushanu, it can be interpreted as an HSV-1 infection."

They also added an analysis that kissing is a long-standing habit in human evolutionary processes. The team said, "Pygmy chimpanzees kiss for sexual purposes, and chimpanzees kiss as a sign of goodwill to maintain social relationships. The habits of these animals, which are humans’ closest relatives, suggest that kissing is an evolutionarily ancient behavior."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.