“My upper lip becomes moist, while my lower lip trembles! I shall embrace him; I shall kiss him.” These words, etched into history from Sippar, Mesopotamia, offer a glimpse into the romantic customs of early civilizations.
The Language of Love in Mesopotamia
Dr. Troels Pank Arbøll, an authority on the medical history of Mesopotamia, emphasizes the universality of kissing across ancient cultures.
He notes, “Many thousands of these clay tablets have survived to this day, and they contain clear examples that kissing was considered a part of romantic intimacy in ancient times.”
This revelation challenges previous notions of kissing as a custom exclusive to specific regions, suggesting its practice spanned diverse cultures over millennia.
Insights from Chimpanzees
Beyond the annals of human history, the study of our closest biological relatives, the bonobo chimpanzees, offers intriguing parallels.
Observations of bonobos engaging in kissing rituals in the Democratic Republic of Congo suggest that the roots of kissing may extend far beyond recorded human history.
