Orgies of the ancient Babylon and the Canaan
Topic
Orgies of the Ancient Civilizations: Ancient Babylon and Canaan
Author
Alina Ustyuzhanina
Alternative titles
«Debauchery and Religion: Orgies in the Ancient Babylon and Canaan»
«Sexual Rituals and Divine Feasts: Mysteries of Orgies in Babylon and Canaan»
«Love and Gods: Orgies as Part of Religious Rites in Ancient Babylon and Canaan»
«Ancient Orgies: Fertility Festivals in Babylon and Canaan»
«Sacral Sexuality: The History and Meaning of Orgies in Ancient Babylon and Canaan»
«Carnal Pleasures and Spiritual Quests: Orgies in Babylonian and Canaanite Cultural Life»
«Myths and Reality: Orgies in Ancient Babylon and Canaan»
« Sacred Orgies: How Ancient Babylon and Canaan Celebrated Fertility and Abundance»
« From Temple to Bedroom: The Role of Orgies in Babylonian and Canaanite Religion»
« Erotic Rituals: Orgies in the Life and Beliefs of the Babylonians and Canaanites»
Reading time
6 minuts
Ancient Babylon: The Code of Hammurabi and a coin on the knee
Ancient Babylon had rituals associated with the worship of fertility gods such as Ishtar. These rituals included sexual acts that were considered sacred, and were intended to ensure fertility and well-being of the community. For example, temple prostitutes, known as “sacred prostitutes,” played an important role in religious rituals, offering their services as part of the worship of the goddess.
The divine brothels served as a place for sexual services, and any traveler could purchase a “woman for an hour” there, which was considered an important spiritual experience for a girl. The first man who threw a coin into the lap of a local cult attendant had the right to spend time with her. Any woman could become a prostitute, regardless of her social status and age.
Prostitution was largely widespread and institutionalized in Babylon. In addition to the temple priestesses of love, there were as well common prostitutes who played a significant role in the economy and social life of the city. These women could have certain rights and even their own property, emphasizing their importance in society. As in most other cultures before Judeo-Christian domination, which was established after Constantine made Christianity the official religion of ancient Rome, Babylonians were not ashamed of homosexuality and, like the ancient Greeks, practiced it openly and freely.
Marriage in Babylon was an important social institution. The Code of Hammurabi, the famous code of rules, included many articles regulating marriage relations, property rights of spouses, and inheritance rules. Women had certain privileges, and marriage contracts were carefully spelled out giving wives a degree of protection. The emerging of the Code of the great king Hammurabi significantly changed the life of the ancient Babylonians and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia as a whole. At the ethical and legal levels, he established the rule of “an eye for an eye”, which also applied to the sexual relations of citizens. For example, if a man slept with a virgin, the girl’s father had the right to do whatever he wished with the offender’s wife, up to and including killing her.
Despite the general state of moral turpitude, adultery was severely punished in Babylon. It was punishable by death: a wife caught in adultery was to be drowned with her lover, tied together with a rope. However, if the deceived husband decided to spare his wife, the law provided for mercy for her lover as well. If the husband wished to kill his lover, despite his desire to spare his wife and defend her possible honor, he himself was executed.
Thus, the code of laws of ancient Babylon regulated marriage and adultery in detail. Wives found guilty of adultery were punished by death, while husbands were allowed to have several wives and concubines. This shows that intimate life was strictly controlled, but men’s sexual freedoms were much wider than women’s.
The Code of Hammurabi devotes much attention to sexual practices and related laws. In ancient Babylon, every marriage had to be sanctified by a sexual act, and it was not considered official until the newlyweds had sexual intercourse. A stone tablet dating from 1754 B.C. is engraved: “If a man takes a woman to wife, but has no intercourse with her or does not draw up a marriage contract, this woman is no wife to him’’.
There was also a phenomenon known as marriage markets. In these markets, women of childbearing age were sold on the principle of “whoever bid the highest price”. All the women would sit in a circle and take turns going to the center, where the audience would start bidding on them according to the principle of an auction. The Babylonians were not timid or shy when it came to intimacy; they engaged in it anytime, anywhere, and with any partner they wished. Newly purchased wives could become participants in orgies during certain religious or occult festivals, or husbands could afford to arrange to meet someone outside for pleasure involving the new spouse.
Divorce in Babylon was permissible and relatively easy to formalize. Laws regulated the terms of divorce and the distribution of property. Extramarital affairs were also not uncommon, and laws provided penalties for adultery. However, Babylonian society as a whole showed a relatively flexible approach to sexual morality, reflecting their peculiar understanding of sexuality and family values.
“The Babylonian Marriage Market” by Edwin Long
Neighbors, the Canaanites
The Canaanites were a Semitic people who lived in the region of Canaan, which encompassed present-day Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and western Syria. They inhabited this region from the third millennium to the first millennium BCE. The Canaanites were famous for their city-states, such as Ugarit, Tyre, and Sidon, and for their advanced culture, which included writing, art, and religion. Their religious practices included the worship of gods, and they had a significant influence on neighboring peoples.
The intimate life of the Canaanites was closely connected with their cultural and religious traditions related to fertility. Baal and Astarte were the main gods responsible for the growth of crops and population, and they had a special role in the pantheon and at festivals. Research shows that temple prostitution among the Canaanites was not only permissible but also sacred. Women, called kedeshas, served as sacred prostitutes, and their duty was to chant the name of their goddess through sex and orgies. Temple attendants often participated in rituals involving numerous sexual acts, which were seen as a way of connecting with the divine and ensuring the well-being of the community. These often included symbolic and actual sexual acts, and were conducted most often in shrines to the sound of music and the drinking of alcohol. Such processions were considered a way to connect with the divine and ensure the well-being of the community.
These sexual practices and customs, along with family and marriage norms, formed an important part of Canaanite culture, and their influence can be traced in the cultural and religious traditions of neighboring peoples, including the ancient Israelites. For example, marriage unions were often accompanied by rituals emphasizing the importance of fertility and continuation of the family. The consummation of a marriage included various rites aimed at strengthening the union and ensuring its fertility. These rites were often accompanied by public festivals in which all members of the community actively participated. Like the ancient Babylonians, the Canaanites did not consider a marriage legitimate if the spouses did not have sexual intercourse and did not continue their lineage by conceiving children.
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References
- Bertrand Russell’s ‘’History of Western Philosophy’’
- https://life.ru/p/1310175
- https://pics.ru/praktik-drevnego-vavilona
- https://sundukistorii.blogspot.com/2016/05/blog-post_39.html
- https://istoryaprava.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_02.html
- Travel in Time. “Ancient Babylon: where it was located, its history and culture”
- Obrazovanie Gid. “Family relations in ancient Babylon under the Code of Hammurabi briefly”
- https://andvari5.livejournal.com/29471.html
- https://lunaatra.org/articles/id/104/#:~:text=
- https://pics.ru/praktik-drevnego-vavilona
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