How ancient women handled their periods?

You've probably read that Egyptian women used papyrus tampons, Greek women used wool and Roman women used sponges. None of it survives a look at the sources. What historians can say with some confidence is smaller: ancient women most likely used cloth. The best physical evidence of anything like a pad is a pile of folded wool in a thirteenth century toilet in Norway. What you'll find in this video: The papyrus tampon traces back to a popular book on tampons from 1981. No ancient text and no archaeological find backs it up. Pliny the Elder wrote that menstrual blood turns new wine sour, dulls mirrors and drives dogs mad, and in the same work he says it can chase pests off a field. Leviticus, the Laws of Manu and the Zoroastrian Vendidad all set rules for women during their periods, but they are rule books, not diaries. In Tønsberg, Norway, archaeologists found 52 textile fragments in a latrine from the thirteenth century: folded strips of wool and sphagnum moss, with human blood on at least one sample. Lister's Towels went on sale in 1896 and sold badly because customers were too embarrassed to ask for them. Kotex launched in 1920. A 2016 Cochrane review found no good-quality evidence for herbal treatments of period pain. Ginger has the most support, with low confidence. If you had to guess how the women in your family's past managed, what would you guess? Tell us in the comments. A like helps the video reach more people, and if you want more stories that start with a missing piece of history, subscribe so you don't miss the next one. 0:00 This is not a weird video 1:19 Who wrote it down 2:41 The papyrus tampon that never existed 4:09 Wool, flesh and Aristotle 5:30 Pliny and the rag 7:03 The rules that came with it 8:48 What a Norwegian toilet kept 10:18 What China wrote instead 11:10 From 1896 to Kotex 12:07 Did the old remedies work? 13:19 What we actually know Everything in this video comes from open sources. Treat it as a starting point rather than the final word. Figures get revised and studies get challenged, and we make mistakes like anyone else. Always check the facts for yourself before you rely on them or pass them on. #ancienthistory #womenshistory #why