Mexican Kama Sutra

Ceramic pieces featuring couples engaged in sexual intercourse are frequently sold to curiosity-seekers in Mexico. They are thought to be of approximately the same age as the Olmec culture (approx. 1500 to 400 BC). It is possible these were made as teaching aids to demonstrate different sex positions, like the more famous Indian Kama Sutra.

For more information, see Frontiers of Anthropology.

Hermaphroditus

A number of ancient deities combine male and female characteristics. Perhaps the most archetypal is Hermaphroditus, from whose name we get the word hermaphrodite. In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus was the offspring of the Goddess Aphrodite and the God Hermes. Originally a boy, he was transformed into a male-female hybrid through union with a water nymph. The cult of Hermaphroditus was popular in ancient Rome, where he was worshipped as the deity of bisexuality and effeminacy. The statue shown here is from Monte Porzio in Italy, and dates from the 2nd century AD. It is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Sex in Babylon

The ancient Babylonians held an exalted view of sex as inducing an altered state of wonder. The clay plaque shown here dates from the early second millennium BC, and predates the Kama Sutra by over 1500 years. It depicts a man penetrating a woman from behind, one of the most popular positions seen in Babylonian art. Anal sex was a popular means of contraception in the ancient world, and the depiction of couples engaging in rear entry may be indicative of that practice.

Source: 4,000-year-old erotica depicts a strikingly racy ancient sexuality.

Lajja Gauri

The image on the left is a 7th century sandstone sculpture of the Hindu Goddess Lajja Gauri. This is striking for its depiction of the Goddess as naked, with her legs spread, and with a prominently visible vulva (oryoni in Sanskrit). Lajja Gauri is one of the principle deities of Shaktism (Hindu Goddess Worship), and is also known by the names of Aditi or Devi. She can be compared with the Celtic Goddess Sheela-na-gig, who is also commonly depicted with legs spread and a prominent vulva.