rome blog

Sometimes we believe that modern beings is that we have invented everything. Internet, twitter, filesharing, even oral sex or pornography. Of course, at least in the case of oral sex, um, we´re not responsible for it´s invention. Although human culture has passed through more or less permissive times, and it´s a bit creepy to think of our ancestors by doing such things, the history of oral sex is as old as sex. Even our fellow primates the bonobos do it!

We found one of the earliest references to this practice among the hidden treasures of the British Museum, in images of the myth of Osiris and Isis, Osiris was murdered by his brother, and cut up into little pieces like a chicken. His sister Isis gathered all the pieces, but of course, a key piece was missing: the phallus. So she made one out of clay again and to bring it back to life, “blew life into it.” Never underestimate the transformative power of oral sex.

If you travel to India, we can find an entire chapter of the Kama Sutra dedicated to art of the oral encounter, which in Sanskrit is called “auparishtaka.” That’s a mouthful! Don´t forget, the Kama Sutra dates back to the second century BC .

In ancient Rome, fellatio was an act which reflected rather complicated social mores, and was considered taboo depending in what context it was performed. Giving fellatio was considered a passive action so the obligation to perform it was used to control and punish subordinates, and infrequently as sexual practice between two equals. A man could require a woman or a man whose social class was lower to perform oral sex (in a sort of drop-and-give-me-20 sort of way) and it was not just a sexual act, but also a demonstration of his power.

Frowned upon or not, the practice was common enough to merit not one but two verbs in Latin, one describing the act of giving, and one for the act of receiving. Call it what you want to, oral sex can be a wonderful way to communicate with your partner without saying anything. Rent apartments in Rome to perfect your technique and look forward to the second half of this article!