Cavewomen dildos were found during a cave excavation in Germany. At 28,000 years old, they are believed to be the oldest sex toys.
This 28,000-year-old smooth stone phallus is made from 14 different pieces of silt-stone and is thought to be one of the earliest sex aids ever discovered.
Discovered in a cave near Ulm in Germany in 2005, it has now resurfaced online just as a new sex exhibit is showing off other ancient toys of a sexual nature.
In Greek mythology, Priapus was depicted with oversized, permanent erection, which is where the name for the medical term priapism originated.
Priapism is a persistent and often painful erection that lasts for several hours – in rare case, for weeks.
A solid bronze amulet, in the form of Priapus, is among the artefacts displayed at the Wellcome Collection.
Phallic charms of the time were known as fascinum, and were even found in the ruins of Pompeii, and it was believed that the symbols could ward off evil spirits.
Meanwhile, the phallic deity Mutunus Tutunus was a symbol of marital sex.
In Turkey, during the 6th century BC, ancient Anatolians used sculptures of sex organs to ward off evil and ill luck as they believed they contained special powers.
‘It brings together the diverse collections of data, art, testimony and objects of those who challenged preconceived ideas about sex and tells the human stories behind the charting of sexual experience.’
Before battery-powered vibrators hit the high street, the sex toy and supposed medical aid went through various stages of evolution.
