Sex Toys: A Bedroom Must-Have Since The Dawn Of Time

Millennials and Gen Z might dominate the sex toy market these days, but they would be shocked to learn that couples have been using tools in the bedroom for thousands of years. 

Although it is hard to think of older relatives getting randy in the bedroom, sex toys were pretty well established by the time our parents, grandparents and even great grandparents were using them. 

In fact, a recent documentary called SEX: A Bonkers History revealed these devices have been popular for at least the last two millennia. 

A 2,000-year-old wooden phallic-looking object was discovered in the Roman Fort of Vindolanda in Northumbria in 1992, which made it clear that women have been satisfying themselves for all of history. 

This 6.5-inch wooden apparatus could be a primitive model of a dildo - a sex toy that has remained an essential in any woman’s bedside drawer ever since. 

Of course, they have now advanced somewhat, with electronic vibrators that can specifically target the G-spot, fit in a purse, or work the clitoris at the same time now being readily available. 

Most ladies would not think twice about buying a mini wand vibrator online so they can keep themselves satisfied, whether or not they have a partner. However, it might be surprising to discover that women 2,000 years ago also felt the same. 

This was not the first sex toy discovery, however, as artefacts from 500 BC have also been found, with these believed to have been used in sexual antics. They weren’t soft, ribbed or silicone, however, but stone, leather or wood. Some were even reported to have been made from camel dung and resin! 

Dorset was the site of the earliest recorded sex toy, with a 7.8-inch silestone phallic object having been found in the German Hohle Fels cave. 

Discovered in 2005, it was thought to have been around 28,000 years old at the time. 

People during the ancient times were actually quite sexually liberated; the Romans, after all, had a reputation for their orgies, infidelity and even incest, at least as far as we know. 

Over their 1,000-year reign, the Ancient Romans became known for their promiscuous nature, and their use of brothels and prostitutes. Homosexuality was also accepted and there was no Latin word to distinguish the desire felt between two people of the same sex from the desire between people of different sexes. 

Let’s face it, sex is written about in Roman literature and depicted quite clearly in its art, so it’s not a surprise that sex toys were frequently used by both men and women during this period of history. 

History Hit even goes so far as saying: “The Romans were, in many ways, more sexually liberated than we are.”

The Ancient Greeks were also fans of sex, and reportedly used warm bread to insert into men to get them to ejaculate. 

It wasn’t until the 18th Century until vibrators were invented, but the technology wasn’t particularly impressive until 1880 when the first electromechanical vibrator was created. 

This invention came earlier than electric irons or vacuum cleaners, showing just how desperate women were for sexual pleasure if the need for a satisfying vibrator was more important than devices to make their arduous household chores that bit easier!