Scientific evidence traces back the origin of "kissing" to Egypt
The practice of kissing appeared in many societies thousands of years ago. archival
Historical scientific evidence reveals that the oldest known record of romantic kissing dates back to 4500 in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
According to the Assyrian historian specialist at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Troels Bank Arbol, and the biologist at the University of Oxford in Britain, Sophia Lund Rasmussen, the theories that say that "kissing" appeared in India before anywhere else are not supported by scientific evidence, according to a report he published. " Sense Alert " website , citing a recent study published by the scientific journal " Sense ".
They pointed out that the evidence supporting the emergence of the habit of "kissing" in Egypt was about 1000 years before its appearance in the book "Vedas" sacred to Hindus, which was written in the Vedic language, which is considered one of the forms of the Sanskrit language.
The late anthropologist von Bryant relied on Vedic Sanskrit texts dating back some 3,500 years, which included a written record of "romantic kissing", to hypothesize that the commanders of Alexander the Great's forces may have brought with them this custom that became "fashion" after their conquest. Punjab in 326 BC.
The researchers do not agree about the reasons for the emergence of "romantic kissing", so it is not known whether it is instinctive or not? socially complex.
The scientist Arbol says that there are writings on stone tablets in cuneiform written 2,500 years ago in Mesopotamia that existed between the Tigris and Parting rivers, which show that “kissing was part of the romantic relationship in ancient times, just as it was part of the customs followed between friends or among family members.
And he stresses that "kissing should not be considered a habit that originated exclusively in a particular region and spread from there, if it appears that it was a practice that appeared in many ancient cultures thousands of years ago."
Kissing and transmitting diseases
A stone tablet dating back to Mesopotamia about 2,000 years ago is in the British Museum
The report indicates that the evidence mentioned in the recent study is consistent with a research paper published last year, which linked the transmission of the "herpes" virus infection with the emergence of physical closeness habits such as kissing, which it said dates back to about 5 thousand years ago.
The researchers said, "The evidence indicates that kissing was a common practice in ancient times, and it is possible that it has an effect on the spread of the herpes virus, which is transmitted orally."
The herpes virus usually causes the appearance of "small blisters" around the lips, which are also known as "cold sores", which heal on their own after two to three weeks, according to the " Mayo Clinic " medical website.
The researchers exclude the theories that "kissing arose as a form of behavioral adaptation" in contemporary societies, especially in light of the evidence that it "unintentionally" accelerated the rate of disease transmission.
Despite the evidence that "kissing" dates back about 5,000 years, it may have existed much earlier than that, as a research paper published in 2017 indicated the presence of "oral bacteria" in the mouths of "Neanderthals" dating back to 126,000 years ago.
Source : websites