investigations | The first documented kisses occurred in Mesopotamia 4,500 years ago
The custom of the romantic kiss was a well-established practice in Mesopotamian societies 4500 years old, According to a new article drawing on various written sources, which also analyzes its possible role in transmitting some diseases.
The authors of the article Troels Bank Arbol, from university CopenhagenAnd Sophie Lundfrom Oxfordsuggesting that although the kissing tradition is probably older, documentary evidence places it at times 1000 years ago than previously recognized by the scientific community.
The article highlights that there is an overlooked body of evidence Romantic kisses Found in ancient Mesopotamian texts from 2500 years BC
In ancient Mesopotamia, which is the name of the first human cultures that existed between Euphrates rivers And tigers in present Iraq And SyriaPeople wrote in cuneiform on clay tablets.
Several thousand of these clay tablets have survived to this day and contain clear examples that kissing was considered part of romantic intimacy in ancient times, just as it might have been part of friendships and relationships between family members, he explains. Arbol.
“but, Kissing should not be seen as a habit that originated in only one area It spread from there, but, he believes, it appears to have been a practice in many ancient cultures over several thousand years.”
With regard to its role in the development and spread of diseases oral transmission Like a virus herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1), they believe, cannot be considered a sudden biological trigger that causes the spread of specific pathogens, as some research has suggested.
beyond its relevance to social behavior And SexualThe appearance and act of the romantic kiss may have a secondary and unintended effect on the transmission of the disease, according to the article published in Science magazine.
Recent research has shown that common pathogens transmitted by kissing, including HSV-1virus Epstein Barr and human parvovirus B 19existed from ancient times to prehistoric times.
Arbøll and Rasmussen reviewed ancient DNA, cultural artifacts, and ancient medical records to show that the presence of diseases transmitted by kissing may be more Ancient And Widespread This is suggested by some recent studies.
It seems unlikely that kissing could have originated as a immediate behavioral adaptation in other contemporary societies, inadvertently accelerating disease transmission,” the authors stated, citing Copenhagen University.
Related news
Humans generally exhibit two main types of kissing: friendly parental kiss and romantic sex, researchers remember.
The first is the behavior prevalent among humans over time and geographybut the second is not culturally universal, but tends to occur in class societies.
