There aren’t many traditions that stretch across millennia, cultures, and continents – male circumcision might be the most enduring of them all. Long before antibiotics or antiseptics, before the scalpel met sterile packaging, humans were already performing this intimate, controversial, and often symbolic procedure. It has been carved into tomb walls, written into holy texts, and passed from one generation to the next, more recently in operating rooms and longer ago under open skies.
So, how did a practice that began in ancient deserts find its way into modern hospitals?
Across the globe and throughout history, it has served as a marker of transition, identity, and spiritual allegiance. In fact, anthropologists and historians believe that circumcision could predate recorded history, with early humans likely developing the practice as a symbolic act tied to fertility, ritual cleanliness, or tribal belonging. Over time, these practices evolved in response to changing societal and religious customs.
The oldest physical evidence of circumcision dates back over 4,000 years to wall carvings in ancient Egyptian tombs.¹ It isn’t exactly clear, but it seems that the practice originated from a combination of religious rites, masculinity, and hygiene. In ancient Egypt, where the sun dictated life and death, circumcision may have served both spiritual and hygienic purposes in the desert heat. Interestingly, much of the Egyptian art depicting circumcision indicates that the procedure may have been limited to specific castes or ritual participants, not the general population.
The Hebrews later adopted circumcision as part of their religious covenant. For Jews, it became a divine commandment tied to Abraham, practiced on the eighth day of life as a physical sign of faith. Christianity engaged with this ritual early on, but most denominations later rejected it as a religious requirement. Even Islam, though it doesn’t mention circumcision explicitly in the Quran, upholds the practice as an essential part of cleanliness and religious identity.¹
Beyond religion, ethnic groups across Africa, the Pacific Islands, and even some Indigenous Australian communities wove circumcision into social identity. In Tanzania, for example, the Maasai, Kurya, and Gogo each developed distinct techniques and meanings behind the cut. For some, the foreskin wasn’t entirely removed, but rather modified, though it’s important to note that this is not a medically recognized or recommended practice today to create folds said to enhance sexuality.¹
In some cultures, the pain was the point – no anesthesia was used in their traditional ceremonies. Bleeding stoically was a badge of honor, proof that a boy had become a man. Among the Kurya, circumcisions were timed with the coldest hours of the morning to dull the pain and reduce bleeding through vasoconstriction (natural blood vessel narrowing).
In some early societies, circumcision was a requirement for inclusion. Among tribes in Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania, the act marked the threshold between childhood and manhood, often accompanied by ceremonies and dancing.¹ Traditional practices vary widely, and while they preserve cultural identity, they also carry a higher risk of infection.
Circumcision Today
Fast forward to the 20th and 21st centuries, and male circumcision takes on more of a medical role in an environment that is considered safer and more controlled with the use of sterilization techniques and medication availability.¹ Religious and cultural motivations persist, yet scientific research shifted attention to potential health benefits, particularly in relation to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), HPV (human papillomavirus), and some cancers.²
Studies have shown that circumcised males are two to three times less likely to contract HIV, that circumcision may lower the risk of penile cancer, and can reduce transmission of HPV to female partners, thereby decreasing the risk of cervical cancer.³ The inner foreskin, it turns out, houses a high concentration of HIV-susceptible Langerhans cells, which are specialized immune cells that HIV targets. Because the inner foreskin is also thin and prone to microtears during intercourse, it can create tiny openings that allow the virus easier access to the bloodstream. These findings sparked massive circumcision campaigns in countries with high HIV rates and low circumcision prevalence. In parts of Africa, circumcision is a public health intervention.¹,⁴
Despite its ancient roots and modern applications, circumcision remains deeply polarizing in the media and within households.
Even in the clinic, its meaning can vary significantly from one individual or family to the next. For some families, it’s a decision guided by faith. For others, hygiene. For others, still, a desire to pass on a tradition that’s older than most civilizations.
And there are real medical conditions males can suffer from that can make circumcision a medical necessity. Conditions such as phimosis (a foreskin that cannot be retracted), recurrent infections, or inflammation like balanitis can all lead doctors to recommend circumcision not as a cultural act but as a clinical solution. In antiquity, the Greeks used the term ‘lipodermos’ to refer to a redundant or overhanging foreskin, which was considered both a medical and social concern, with treatments ranging from topical ointments to surgical reconstruction.⁵
Whether it’s for health, heritage, or habit, the practice persists – adapted, argued over, but undeniably alive.
At the Newborn Circumcision Center, we recognize that circumcision is a personal decision rooted in culture, faith, and family values. We’re here to offer safe, compassionate, and expert care to families who choose it in a modern, medically sound environment.
Would you like to learn more about the procedure or schedule an appointment? Fill out our screening questionnaire to explore your options and speak with our team.
References:
- Mwashambwa, M. Y., Mwampagatwa, I. H., Rastagaev, A., & Gesase, A. P. (2013). The male circumcision: the oldest ancient procedure, its past, present and future roles. Tanzania Journal of Health Research, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v15i3.8.
- World Health Organization, & Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. (2007). Male circumcision Global trends and determinants of prevalence, safety and acceptability. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/jc1360_male_circumcision_en_0.pdf.
- Cox, G., & Morris, B. J. (2012). Why Circumcision: From Prehistory to the Twenty-First Century. Surgical Guide to Circumcision, 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2858-8_21.
- World Health Organization, & Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. (2007). Male circumcision Global trends and determinants of prevalence, safety and acceptability. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/jc1360_male_circumcision_en_0.pdf.
- Hodges, F. M. (2001). The Ideal Prepuce in Ancient Greece and Rome: Male Genital Aesthetics and Their Relation to Lipodermos, Circumcision, Foreskin Restoration, and the Kynodesme. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 75, 375–405. https://cirp.org/library/history/hodges2/.