HOW DID ANCIENT HUMANS FIND LOVE?

Imagine you fall in love. And before you can marry her, you have to move in with her parents… and hunt for them. For years. So how did ancient humans actually find love? In this video: why humans became a pair-bonding species, Hadza couples who "divorce" by simply moving out, San bride service and the father-in-law judging every animal you bring home, the Lovers of Valdaro — two people buried in a hug 6,000 years ago, Mesopotamian marriage contracts (the first prenups, on clay), Herodotus' strange "bride auction" in Babylon, the oldest love poem in the world, Egyptian love songs, the bizarre Spartan wedding night, Roman rings, veils and easy divorce — and ancient love spells. ⏱ Chapters 0:00 Hunting for your in-laws 0:45 Why humans form couples 1:24 The Hadza: marriage without a wedding 1:44 Bride service in the Kalahari 2:19 A couple hugging for 6,000 years 3:12 Marriage becomes a contract 4:03 The Babylonian "bride auction" 4:35 The oldest love poem 5:04 Egypt: surprisingly modern 5:50 Athens: a handshake deal 6:06 Sparta: the strangest wedding night 6:36 Rome: rings, veils and easy divorce 7:22 Ancient love spells 7:43 What I take from all this Would you rather have an arranged marriage, or do the Stone Age bride service and hunt for your in-laws for years? Tell me in the comments. 📚 Sources Marlowe, F. W. (2010). The Hadza: Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania. University of California Press. Lee, R. B. (1979). The !Kung San: Men, Women and Work in a Foraging Society. Cambridge University Press. Shostak, M. (1981). Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman. Harvard University Press. Chapais, B. (2008). Primeval Kinship: How Pair-Bonding Gave Birth to Human Society. Harvard University Press. The "Lovers of Valdaro" Neolithic double burial, San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy (discovered 2007). Roth, M. T. (1997). Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. (Code of Hammurabi, law 138) Stol, M. (2016). Women in the Ancient Near East. De Gruyter. Herodotus, Histories, Book I.196. "A Love Song for Shu-Suen" (Istanbul Museum Ni 2461). Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Fox, M. V. (1985). The Song of Songs and the Ancient Egyptian Love Songs. University of Wisconsin Press. Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus 15. Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 10.10 (the ring finger). Treggiari, S. (1991). Roman Marriage. Oxford University Press. Faraone, C. A. (1999). Ancient Greek Love Magic. Harvard University Press. Coontz, S. (2005). Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage. Viking. Some stories here — like Herodotus' bride auction or Plutarch's account of Sparta — come from ancient writers who weren't always reliable, and I mention that in the video. #history #ancienthistory #prehistory