Captive Cavegirl Costume, some cave dwellers are prettier than others
Cavemen get their credit for inventing the wheel, harnessing fire and developing tools that began the evolution toward civilization. But few people know that those very cave dwellers also gave us dildos. Art found in caves dating to the Paleolithic Era (some say as far back as 100,000 years ago, some say only 30,000 years ago) depicts the use of dildos. So when a person shops for a dildo today, they are carrying on a human tradition from the dawn of history. In fact, the dildo even predates the wheel! That’s a serious statement about human priorities.
This comes as no surprise to researchers. After all, sexuality is the basis of survival. If humans do not procreate, there will be no future humans. Sex is as important as air, food, water and shelter to human survival. Unlike going to the well, hunting or building a house, however, sex comes naturally to us all and provides intense pleasure – perhaps an evolutionary adaptation to get us to engage in it frequently. Sextoys serve to enhance the experience even further.
But for all their work inventing the dildo, sextoys did not really pick up as a phenomenon with the cave dwellers, or at least there’s no indication that the cave dwellers were exporting them. Greeks were the first Westerners to truly design, develop and monetize sextoys. Greek sextoys travelled throughout the Mediterranean region and art depicting dildos has been dated as far back as 400 B.C.E. Known as the “Olispo,” the Greek dildo was used by rich and poor, old and young. And because the Greeks didn’t bother with sexual identity labels – they didn’t think in terms of straight, gay or bisexual – the use of the “Olispo” was only limited by a person’s desires, or imagination.
Greeks, like many other cultures, also combined religious ritual with the use of a dildo. Greek religion included Priapus, while Egyptians chose the ever-erect Amon-Ra. Many other cultures also included ritual use of dildos.
Meanwhile, Asian cultures were enhancing their sex lives as well. Chinese people have used aphrodisiacs and enhancements for thousands of years. Between the First Century C.E. and Sixth Century C.E. (there is no definite way to date the work), Vatsyayana’s writings about “Kama” – sensual desires – were taking shape. Even in this work, designed to gain control of desires, sextoys are mentioned. One mention is to craft a penis extension from leather or another suitable material to enhance sex for both man and woman.
Japanese artisans have taken dildos to fanciful extremes. Using sculpting and painting methods, Japanese dildos add form to function, sometimes even sacrificing function (it is hard to imagine using a dildo large enough for as many sculptures as the Japanese have been known to use). The point is that sextoys have been standard fare across cultures and perspectives for a span of time few would have imagined.
And ancient sextoy development didn’t end with the Greeks. The Romans, ever quick to adapt good ideas to their own peculiar tastes, were happy to morph the Olispo into the Diletto. Like the Greeks, Romans had little use for sexual identity labels, so Diletto use was common among men and women.
Through the Dark and Middle Ages of European History, we have little information about sextoy use. We do know that sexuality was as strong as ever, but the details are obscured thanks to a church structure that had come to equate sexuality with evil. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that the Diletto reappeared in Italy, crafted from various materials and with unique designs.
Fun Factory Bandito, the diletto has come a long way
But it was another group of prudish people who gave us the vibrator. Physicians in Victorian England developed the vibrator to cure “Hysteria.” Hysteria was a general term derived from the Greek word for Uterus. The idea was that by providing a woman an orgasm, she would be relieved from stress associated with sexual “dysfunction.” Or, in more modern terms, an orgasm relieved normal human desires!
Shortly before that, Italian doctors invented the butt plug. Thanks to a profound lack of knowledge about the human anatomy, the butt plug was actually invented to prevent the loss of semen through the anus and to enhance fertility. Obviously, semen loss was not cured, but the little egg shaped plug worked its way into the Diaspora of sextoys and has been around since. Butt plugs provide a unique – and some would argue excellent – source of anal stimulation for users.
English doctors continued development of vibrators, including the first battery operated one, the precursor to today’s varieties. Vibrators were advertised as medicinal aids for many years. Over time, their subtle sexual references became the norm, and the vibrator shifted from medical device to toy.
Like everything else, though, sextoys have benefitted from the advance of technology. Instead of an ivory dildo covered in olive oil for insertion, modern users can choose from a wide variety of materials and functions. Jelly and plastic reigned supreme in sextoy manufacture until recent years.
With the advent of silicone, thermoplastic treatment and other materials, sextoys now enjoy hygienically superior designs as well as comfort for users. And the designs now cover everything from stimulating the clitoris to the G-spot. Whatever erogenous zone a user wishes to stimulate can be fulfilled with a variety of interesting and effective toys.
And sextoys have also evolved with fetishes and imaginations. Electrosex toys, bondage toys, nipple and CBT toys and many others have become popular with diverse markets of consumers in recent years. With the growing market for toys, men have also benefitted.
Love dolls and masturbators now provide men with alternatives to enjoy. And, as society becomes more comfortable with sexuality, men have also taken to role switches and anal stimulation. Some of the best selling sextoys for men, are strap-on dildos for their wives and significant others. Women no longer have a corner on the pleasure market!
Check out the over one thousand unique toys designed specifically for men.
Double Ring Harness with Silicone Dong by California Exotic
And as sextoys continue to evolve, more and more people have many different options for pleasure. No doubt the cave dwellers would have a hard time imagining how to use modern toys. Even so, as humans have proven through the ages, sextoys will be popular as long as people enjoy orgasms. And we doubt that will change any time soon!
Bill Turner, Research Analyst
