Ancient Periods

Have you ever thought about what women back in B.C. did when that time of the month arrived? Well, it's not very much talked about in our average history class because some people find it taboo or embarrassing. Still, I’m here to tell you the history of menstruation is quite interesting and a little messy. 

     Back then, women’s periods were often lighter and shorter than women's periods are now due to malnutrition and illnesses. As a result, they started their periods at an older age and went through menopause at a younger age than the average woman does today. Back in the day, women usually had 150 periods; now, the average number of women to get her period is 450.

     Women back then didn't have all of the “luxuries” we have today, so they just grabbed whatever was convenient and absorbent. Women in Egypt made tampons out of soft rolls of papyrus. They also used period blood as a beauty product. They believed it had firming properties to help with loose, saggy skin. Hippocrates wrote about women making menstrual products out of lint and lambswool wrapped around a lightweight, absorbent wood. Women in Japan rolled up paper to make tampons and used bandages to keep them in place. Cherokee women believed that menstrual blood was very powerful and could even destroy their enemies. 

     In many cultures throughout history, women's periods were seen as disgusting and shameful. Men were often terrified of women’s periods leading periods to being socially unacceptable. This was also a way for men to keep women unequal. In the Torah, a menstruating woman is seen as unclean. Anything she touches is contaminated. When the end of her cycle arrives, the only way she can become clean again is to perform a ritual bath. Today, in some traditional and rural homes, women are still confined to a tiny room where they shall stay until their cycle has passed. 

     Luckily, not everyone thought periods were an evil curse. The founder of Sikhism taught that a woman's period was a gift from God and was required to create human life. Some women even took advantage of their periods. Some Native women built communes as a way to separate them from their husbands and tribe. They also demanded no chores while on their periods. The time they spent in their huts consisted of Meditation, bath rituals.  And they spent time in a sacred moon pond. All women in the community got their periods simultaneously, and if one woman were thrown out of sync from her sisters, she would ask the moon to balance her. 

     As you can see, all around the world, menstrual cycles have a different reputation. Society can now become more accepting and informed on menstrual cycles because we have more knowledge than ever on how periods work.