First Sex- The Natufian Statue and Professor Dorothy Garrod

The Ain Sakhri statue, unearthed from the Wadi el-Mughara Caves near Jerusalem around 9000 BCE, represents the world's oldest known depiction of human coitus. This discovery, linked to the Natufian culture identified by pioneering paleo-archeologist Dorothy Garrod, predates historical records of sexual self-awareness by millennia. The statue, carved from calcite and distinct from contemporary bone or antler sculptures, provides a rare glimpse into pre-historic social structures and artistic expression. To contextualize this finding, researchers analyzed archives including the British Museum, Pitts River Museum, and Garrod's photographic archive, alongside secondary sources on Natufian art. Dorothy Garrod's groundbreaking work, spanning excavations in the Levant from 1925 to 1934, also highlighted her trailblazing career as the first female professor at Cambridge University (1939-1952), further emphasizing the significance of this archaeological milestone.

Sairam, N., & Moran, M. (2023). First Sex- The Natufian Statue and Professor Dorothy Garrod. International Journal of Urologic History, 2(2), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.53101/ijuh.2.2.01052302