Ancient Antics

The first mention of the yo-yo comes from a vase found in Ancient Greece. They made yo-yos out of wood, metal or clay. The clay ones were probably not played with much, because they were so breakable. They were possibly used for a coming of age ceremony where a child of a certain age gives the gods one or more of their toys.

In Ancient Greece, the word ‘idiot was was used to describe people who were not involved in politics. People saw those who didn’t care about politics as selfish. It was very important for people to be involved and contribute. They called these people “idiotes” which stems from “idios”. Idios means the self. With more than a few of today’s politicians maybe this would be reversed...

In Ancient Greece, men would throw apples at women they were in love with. It was considered to be a sort of marriage proposal. I wonder how many women got hit in the head because they weren’t looking.

Bye China! Up next: Greece

Ancient Chinese people were highly offended by body odor. They believed it meant you were a criminal or extremely poor. They took extreme measures not to smell bad. The ladies that lived in the palace would put bags of sweet smelling things under their arms so they smelled fresh all day. I rest that sometimes you could smell them more than a mile away 😮. People in the palace also had to suck on cloves before they talked to the emperor, because the bad breath was NOT okay. Those with out access to these perfume bags would wash their armpits with urine...I know “more gross urine facts?!” Yep.

Toilet paper was invented by the Chinese, but it was only available to royalty for quite a while. Instead of toilet paper things were a little weird. They would use sticks, grass, leaves and various other extremely uncomfortable things to wipe with. I think we should change the saying to “it’s the best thing since toilet paper”

The Ancient Chinese invented the kite as a tool to use in battle. They would use them to measure distances, spy on enemies, and measure wind speed. They started out looking quite different than today’s kites, and some were even made to carry people. Later on, they would use kites for entertainment and celebrations.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese were to greet and say goodbye to each other with poetry. They would memorize poetry or come up with it on the spot (I would be awful at that). Poetry and the arts were extremely important during this period, and good poets were like celebrities. This was an extremely cool time in China. They opened their borders and learned as much as they could from other cultures. Would you do well if this was the custom today?

The ancient (and many present day) Chinese kept crickets as pets. They were bred and kept as tiny boxers. People also enjoyed listening to their “songs”. Crickets were considered lucky charms. It was an extremely popular sport and has recently been making a comeback.

It’s time for another #ancientantics . This month we’re moving on to Ancient China. I’m starting off with a good one. Ancient Chinese ate what they called “virgin boy eggs”, which were eggs cooked in little boy urine. Urine was believed to have health benefits. Some still eat these to this day.

Peace out from the Mayans. Next up: China!

Ancient Mayans were big sauna users. I was actually surprised by this, because they were already in a warm climate. They used them for health benefits and to purge disease or detox. They were very popular with women who had just given birth and the sick. Saunas have been proven to have many health benefits, so they were waaayyy ahead of their time.

Ancient Mayans would use enemas of alcohol and hallucinogens like peyote or mushrooms to get into a trance state to connect with the spirit world. These rituals were lead by shamans who acted as guides/mediators. The rituals would help whoever connected to the spirit world to gain knowledge about crops, diseases, plants etc.

Ancient Mayans liked the look of slightly crossed eyes so much that they intentionally made their children’s eyes that way. They would hang a ball of resin from the child’s hair and paint it white so the child would focus on it and eventually have crossed eyes.

Ancient Antics #3: Ancient Mayans thought big noses were attractive. They even had fake clay noses to put on if someone’s wasn’t quite up to par. If you look at any of their art, you can definitely tell that the large nose was an ideal facial feature.

Ancient Antics #2: Elongated Skulls. The upper classes of Maya would wrap their children’s heads so they would become more elongated. Some would also wrap boards to their heads to create a more flat forehead. I wonder if this affected the brain at all...

I’m finally ready to launch my new project! I will be illustrating and lettering fun/weird historical facts. I was an anthropology major back in the day, and I love learning about ancient cultures. I want to share what I’ve learned. I will start with Ancient Mayans and move to different cultures. Today’s is really cool. Upper class Mayans had something similar to grills. Theirs were more hardcore though. They would carve designs into their teeth and have precious gems embedded into them. They even replaced regular teeth with tooth-shaped Jade pieces sometimes. Sounds painful, but also kind of pretty.