8 Creepy Things That Our Ancestors Did

• 4:46 pm May 21, 2018
• Hazel

There are many things that we follow because our ancestors told us to. Without questioning them the generations have passed away and now we are left with some rituals that have the are creepy. Now that we question everything about our ancestors we don’t usually get explanations but there are some things which can be answered. Here are such things that are downright creepy that our ancestors did!

Rock Instead Of Paper

The Greeks didn't even go for other alternatives such as plant leaves, corn cobs, coconut shells, sheep wool and cloth, sponge on a stick, or just plain water.

The Greeks used rocks, shards of pottery or pebbles instead of toilet papers for certain hygienic purposes.

I wonder what hygienic purposes did they choose this!

After passing Pictures

There were weird customs followed, one of the weirdest is that, around the 19th century, to preserve the memory of deceased, the deceased bodies were made to seem alive in the photo.

They were made to sit or stand in casual postures, and then they drew eyes on their shut eyelids.

Questionable Hygiene

In the Medival times, people trusted that water only brought illness to man. The more creepy thing was that lice were called “the pearls of God.“

How gross can it get?

A tradition started by monarchs was even revealed by Isabella I of Castille, who only washed twice in her life: at birth and before her wedding.

Bloodletting

This operation was well known for 2,000 years up until the early 20th century.

Bloodletting form for treating any ailment often did more harm than good, weakening the patient.

This eventually stopped!

Chopines

Chopines is also known as zoccoli or pianelle, a kind of platform shoe which was about 50 cm (20 in) high. Many people who were a sufferer of fashion used these uncomfortable shoes, there was another practical purpose attached to it.

Boys In Dresses

A custom which came into practice in the 16th century and lasted until around 1920, had boys aged from 4-8 years to wear dresses.

This is so funny and unethical for little boys.

This tradition was not neglected even by the royal families.

Also read: Our Ancestors Did These 8 Super Weird Things...

Alarm Clocks

Between the cock crowing and the mechanical alarm clocks there existed a tradition in which live alarm clocks where a person would wake up other people who had to get up early.

They were professionals and were called knocker-upper and they existed from the mid-18th century until the 1950s.

Then maybe the mechanical clock took their jobs away.

Their job was to knock on their clients’ windows with sticks or shooting at them with pea shooters.

That's pretty badass, right?

The First And Second Sleep

The Europeans who lived in the middle ages had two sleep cycles, which is known as the biphasic sleeping.

It starts from sunset until about midnight and then people would wake up for 2-3 hours which was considered to be a break.

This break was used to read, pray and socialize with friends and neighbors. Post which the second sleep cycle would finish which would last till sunrise.