Humans have been creating depictions of sex for millennia — and these examples of erotic paintings and sculptures prove it.

Expressing our sexuality has been an integral part of the human experience since the beginning of our species itself — and examples of erotic art throughout ancient history certainly prove it.

Erotic Art From Greece

An ancient wine jug depicting a customer and a sex worker (a money pouch is hanging on the wall) dated between 480 and 470 B.C.E. Greece.

Priapus Fertility God

A fresco in Pompeii depicting the Priapus, a rustic fertility god, stealing from Mercury, the god of commerce. Dated between 89 B.C.E. and 79 C.E. Pompeii, Italy.

Erotic Goat Art

A statue of the god Pan copulating with a goat. 1st century C.E. Discovered in Herculaneum.

Jade Sex Statue

A jade erotic art piece made during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). China.

Turkish Phallus Sculpture

A sculpture of the male sex organ. Circa 6000 B.C.E. Ancient Anatolia, Turkey.

Mesopotamian Sex Artifact

A clay plaque depicting a couple copulating. Old Babylonian Period, 2nd millennium B.C.E. Mesopotamia (Iraq).

Iberian Penis Figure

An Iberian phallic figure. 5th to 3rd century B.C.E. Spain.

Egyptian Statue Depicting Sex

A statue depicting sex. Early Ptolemaic Period (305-30 B.C.E). Alexandria, Egypt.

Pompeii Sex Relief

Roman erotic relief. 1st century C.E. Pompeii, Italy.