Search Here

Sex in Ancient Egypt may have been reserved for the summer, new research suggests.

Recent discoveries at a cemetery in Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt, whose burials date back around 1,800 years, reveal the peak season for love-making was during the hottest months in July and August.  Researchers said that this boon in sex meant 20 percent more babies were born in March and April than in other months.  However, this also meant that most deaths among women of childbearing age occurred in these spring months.

Archeologists dug up 765 graves and analyzed the remains to estimate the age of death. The cemetery is located about 450 miles (720 kilometers) southwest of Cairo, and the people buried there lived in the ancient town of Kellis, with a population of at least several thousand.

Researchers were also able to determine the month of death, as the graves were all oriented towards the rising run.

According to LiveScience, the excavation unearthed remains of 124 babies that had died between 18 weeks and 45 weeks after conception.  After combining the data with other information, researchers concluded that the peak period for births at ancient site was in March and April and the peak period for conceptions was in July and August, when temperatures at the Dakhleh Oasis often rise above 100 degrees. 

Researchers said the latest findings are surprising because in other ancient Mediterranean cultures, fewer babies are believed to have been conceived during the summer months because hot weather is thought to have lowered libido and sperm count.

However, the latest research reveals that at Kellis conceptions increased by more than 20 percent in the summer.  Researchers said that ancient Egyptian beliefs about fertility and the annual Nile flood may be the reason why the most baby-making occurred during the summer.

Researchers said even though the individuals in the study lived at a time when the Roman Empire controlled Egypt and Christianity was spreading, their Egyptian religious beliefs were still strong.

"Even though this was a Christian community, we know that they were still practicing, or having these social beliefs of, fertility being at its highest in the months of July and August," lead researcher Lana Williams, a professor at the University of Central Florida, told LiveScience. "We have local temple reliefs that show this, the annual inundation of the Nile being celebrated at Dakhleh."

Willians and her team believe that the peak in spring births continued until the 20^th century.

While the summer was considered peak season for Ancient Egyptians to get busy, conception rates fell 20 percent below the site's annual average in January.  Researchers believe this may be because Christian beliefs required abstinence during Advent and Lent. Furthermore, researchers say that early Egyptian Christians were urged to avoid sex on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.