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The [[amputation]] of the [[foreskin]] is a very old ritual, whose exact origin cannot be verified beyond doubt. Circumcision is believed to have originated in east Africa near the Red Sea well before the dawn of recorded history.<ref name="demeo1997">{{REFbook |last=DeMeo |first= |author-link= |last2= |first2= |author2-link= |year=1997 |title=The geography of sexual mutilations |url=https://www.academia.edu/4212007/The_Geography_of_Male_and_Female_Genital_Mutilations |work=Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy |editor=George C. Denniston, Marilyn Milos |edition= |volume= |chapter= |pages= |location=New York |publisher=Plenum |isbn=0-306-45589-7 |quote= |accessdate=2021-11-13 |note=}}</ref> Medical historians assume that circumcision already served in ancient history as a way to control the sexuality of slaves and members of the lower classes without compromising their ability to reproduce. In religious history circumcision may be seen as a substitute for human sacrifice. In prehistoric times it was not uncommon to placate the gods with human sacrifice. Castration of slaves or conquered enemies was common as well. Following religious changes this sacrifice was altered, and only a part of the very organ responsible for the creation of new life was sacrificed.

[[Image:Circumcision Sakkara 3.jpg|200px|right]] For the Aborigines, the [[Australia| Australian ]] natives, the tradition of circumcision is said to go back to 10,000 BC. On the African continent, the first circumcisions are assumed to have emerged around 6000 BC. From ancient Egypt hints of various forms of circumcision date back to the time around 3000-2000 BC. The oldest known depiction<ref>{{REFweb

In the Jewish religionJudaism, the tradition of circumcision goes back to a passage in the Book of Genesis (17, 10-14). It is seen as a [[Abrahamic covenant| covenant between God and man]], dating back to the patriarch Abraham.

According to the anthropologist and sociologist Nissan Rubin, the [[Jewish circumcision| Jewish form of circumcision]], called ''[[Brit Milah| brit mila]]'', during the first two millennia did not include the later customary ''periah'', namely the complete scraping of the inner [[foreskin]] from the [[Glans penis|glans]]. This was only added around 135 AD, to make it almost impossible to restore the [[foreskin]] by stretching, which became popular in the wake of Hellenic influence. While originally only the tip of the [[foreskin]] was cut off, periah removes the entire [[foreskin]]. In the Greek society of the day, a denuded [[Glans penis|glans]] was considered obscene and risible. In ultra-orthodox communities, circumcision is followed by the ''[[mohel]]'', the ritual circumciser, sucking blood from the wound with his mouth. This practice is highly controversial, as it can result in an infection with [[herpes]] simplex type 1. In New York City, between 2000 and 2011 eleven children were infected with [[herpes]], 10 of whom had to be treated in hospital. Two of them suffered permanent brain damage, two others died. In the 12th century, the Jewish philosopher and doctor [[Moses Maimonides| Maimonides]] pointed out that circumcision was necessary, as it diminished sexual desires and reduced the pleasure to a degree just sufficient for mere reproduction.

In Christianity, circumcision is practiced only in a few Coptic churches. There is no general belief that circumcision is a requirement of Christianity.<ref name="hill2004">{{REFweb