Is this the world's oldest sex toy? 2,000-year-old sex toys found in China

Rare images have been released showing former sex toys that once belonged to the Chinese royals and aristocrats.

Two fun features, both in bronze, date back more than 2,000 years the Chinese of the Han dynasty (206 BC.-220 a.d.).

They were discovered in the modern Jiangsu Province near Shanghai, inside the ancient tombs belonging to the rich and powerful.



The sex toy (pictured) was discovered in Yizheng inside the tomb of an ancient aristocrat


One of the two objects, which has a metal ring to attach to it, was discovered in Yizheng city in Western Jiangsu.

It has been updated by archaeologists in 2012 and has since been kept at the Yizheng Museum. He is not shown to the public.

A staff member of the Museum of Yizheng said what element of bronze had been found inside the tomb of an aristocrat in dynasty Western Han (206 BC - 8), the first part of the dynasty Han.

The other sex toy apparently belonged to a Chinese imperial family.

The artifact, which has a flat bottom, were found in an ancient tomb in Xuyi County in Jiangsu West in 2009. It has been preserved in the Museum of Nanjing, the capital of the Province of Jiangsu.

In 2011, the owner of the Tomb has been identified as Liu Fei (169BC-127BC), the first King of Jiangdu, an autonomous Kingdom within the dynasty Han, according to China News.

Both sex toys were unearthed in modern-day Jiangsu Province near Shanghai

Liu Fei was also a half-brother of the Emperor Wu of Han, who ruled from 141BC to 97BC.

The bronze artefact was discovered in 2009 inside the tomb which is believed to belong to a regional King in the Han Dynasty

The two extraordinary sex toys will go on display at an upcoming exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in the United States.

The exhibition, called 'Tomb Treasures', will showcase more than 160 artefacts from the Han Dynasty. 

The historical items, all found inside ancient tombs, include luxurious daily life ornaments, worship items as well as private objects associated with sex and pleasure. 

Zhang Fan, the co-curator of 'Tomb Treasures', said the two pleasure devices 'could be worn and used' and that they reflected an 'almost modern appreciation for the body's needs and wants'. 

According to Mr Zhang, the other intimate artefacts at the exhibition will include a large silver basin for taking baths, a working stone latrine with an armrest and an elaborate ceramic urinal.

Jay Xu, the director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the co-curator of 'Tomb Treasures' said: 'This exhibition underscores how connected we really are to the past, that we share the same passions across time and culture.' 

The exhibition will run from February 17 to May 28.