"Some Old Kingdom (2649–2134 B.C.) artifacts depict a few slaves and priests as having a dorsal slit of the foreskin rather than a circumcision. The sixth dynasty (2323–2150 B.C.) tomb relief, the Mastaba of Ankhmahor at Saqqara, shows something happening to the penis of a “ka-priest.” Some misinterpret this as a “circumcision scene,” whereas Egyptologists affirm that the scene depicts a pubic shaving and possibly an impending dorsal slit operation. Around 460 B.C., the Greek historian Herodotus recorded with disgust that the Egyptian priests were circumcised. The pharaohs and all other members of the ruling classes, however, were free from circumcision throughout the long span of Egyptian history.
The ancient Greeks were proud of the fact that they were genitally intact, unlike some of their unpopular neighbors in the Near East. Ancient Greek historians recorded tales of various Middle Eastern tribes who dwelt around the Red Sea. Some of these tribes cut off only the foreskin.Others cut off the glans as well.Still other tribes cut off the entire penis.The Greeks were horrified by these tales.
When the Greeks expanded their empire under Alexander the Great, after 336 B.C., they tried to civilize these mutilating tribes. They banned circumcision and castration wherever they found it. They even tried to stop the practice among the Hebrews. The account of how the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, around 175 B.C., tried to protect Jewish babies from circumcisers is recorded in the Bible, in the first book of Maccabees.
When the Romans took over and expanded the Hellenistic Empire of the Greeks, they were even more determined to abolish circumcision and castration. The great and noble Emperor Hadrian outlawed castration and circumcision throughout the empire. The Romans were so horrified and disgusted by circumcision and castration that they made the punishment for the perpetrators of either mutilation the same—death and confiscation of all property.
Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has passed many similar laws banning circumcision. As you can see, the traditional Western response to circumcision has been righteous indignation. Westerners must have realized that genital mutilation to any degree is ineffective at eliminating sexual desire and, instead, leads to unhappiness and unproductiveness." Page 292-294
