In ancient times of no civilization?

Question

what did women use for their monthly periods before the existence of sanitary pads like always

Answer 1

The ancients were very skilled in natural medicine, so I would think that they probably used some variety of leaf. Some of the tribes in Africa used to banish women from the village during their period as it was looked on as bad luck ,and could effect the crops or cattle herds, and in some cases, if she came back to the village before her period ended she would be killed.

Answer 2

They went to Ye Olde Harley Street to buy organic tampons, after making a sacrifice to the Great all-seeing White witch god, of an infant baby.

Hope this satisfy your obvious curiosity on this very important issue, if I could be of further help please do not hesitate to let me know.

Answer 3

Good answers above.  I'll add an anthropological note related to why menstrating females were typically "confined".  Until about 8000 years ago, huge predators hunted and ate humans and were attracted to menstrual aromas of blood.  So, women were covered with fragrant grasses and confined as much as possible during their periods, downwind, so to say.  And, as with other primates, early human females literally licked themselves clean in their ordinary grooming behaviors of picking bugs off each other and such..

Answer 4

Well, in the Jewish tribes they stayed locked in the bedroom for one week (or in those tents another answerer mentioned) where only their mothers or sisters (or younger females, depending on which tribe they were) would be able to visit them, afterwards the bedsheets and her pajamas would be burned.

The Greece would wear twofolds of panties and long dresses to hide any "leaks".  Then they'd wash them and either wear them again or, in some tribes, burn them as offerings to fertility goddess'.  They would also take herbs in order to dull the signs of menstrual wash.  Notably, the cults of Artemis celebrated each coming period and even prayed for them to come.

In Egypt, the women would remain in bed as the Jewish women did, but they could be visited by anyone and their sheets would simply be washed.  The Egyptians would also take as much of the menstrual blood as they could in order to make medicine and ointments for healing women.  

In northern Africa, women did attempt to stop the blood or absorb it at all.  However, they used folded clothes to measure the amount of blood in order to see if they need special medications to keep them fertile.  

Some of the African tribes did banish the women, but they were generally few and far between.  In most parts of Africa, they cherished the ability to give birth, and would protect the fertility of their women fiercely.

I'm not sure about other cultures.  I don't really make it my personal hobby to go about researching female menstration.

Answer 5

Wadding,folded cloth,labs wool or any absorbent material,,and looking at today's society they were probably a lot more civilised than we are

Answer 6

4,000 years ago, the woman, living in tight quarters and much more closely with nature than we do now, would all menstruate together.

There would be a tent lined with straw, where they would sit.  This would be a period of rest for the women because it was considered unclean for them to work... especially cook.  The tent was for females only and they were cared for by the younger, pre-menstrual girls in the community.

Answer 7

nothing

animals dont use sanitary towels, do they!

Although we did have to put one on my dog before we got her neutered as couldn´t let her run around outside so much.

Answer 8

Some would just let it run down their legs, some would use things from nature such as animal hides, plants, etc...

Answer 9

Hamsters or any other small rodent.

*Thanks Patois :-D