New archaeological studies at a cemetery in the Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt, with burials dating back to more than 1,800 years, revealed that July and August in particular, were the peak periods for baby-making sex in ancient Egyptians.
The oasis, which is located some 720 kilometers to the southwest of Cairo, boasts of graves belonging to the people who lived in the ancient town of Kellis.
Around 765 graves were uncovered, and thanks to the excellent preservation, the researchers were able to estimate the age of the buried individuals. Also, as the graves were oriented towards the rising sun, the researchers could estimate the month of death of the buried individuals.
The results, combined with some additional information revealed that the peak periods for births in ancient Egyptians were March and April. Similarly, the deaths of women in the childbearing age were also high during these months, which indicated that these women supposedly died in childbirth.
These deaths-in-childbirths suggested that most childbirths took place in March and April, which clearly links the peak baby-making months to be July and August - the hottest months of the year.
Earlier studies made use of census records to identify birth patterns in ancient Egyptians, but this new study made use of burials to identify birth patterns, which is a commendable feat.
"No one has ever looked at it using the actual individuals themselves, the biological aspects of it," lead researcher Lana Williams, a professor at the University of Central Florida, in an interview with Live Science, said.
Key points that were put forth after the study were -
- Ancient Egyptians had baby-making sex during the summers, mostly due to the association with the flooding of the river Nile, which took place during the summer months, and was considered to be a key to their fertility.
- Though summers were the peak months for baby-making sex, the ancient Egyptians avoided it in the months around January, owing to the introduction to Christianity, which called for prohibition of sex during some days of the year.
- The ancient Egyptians also used natural contraceptives, as old texts read.
This research was recently presented at the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu.
