did they have an alternative to maxi pads or did they just free bleed-
In: Biology
There is actually a lot of historical information about this if you look for it. It is not true that it was not recorded. Cultures developed their own narratives about the status of a woman in menstruation. This narrative, as well as the practical processes for handling it, is most definitely recorded by those who kept some form of written history and rules of society.
In regards to ancient times, menstruation is a major issue for any small, close-knit community that is constantly working together for survival. Menstruation can have a major productivity effect on the workforce. In fact, in American culture, menstruation was considered a primary reason to keep women out of the workforce until improved products began to become available in probably 1970’s-1980’s.
Many ancient cultures were not shy about bodily processes as we are today in western culture. Not only are menstruation processes recorded, in some cases they are part of a narrative history of an event, because a woman in menses was a factor in the story. There are even religious texts that refer to various aspects of menstruation.
Some cultures isolated menstruating women in a hut separated from the village or group housing. There were holes or other methods for keeping things sanitary.
But this separation can be a problem for a group that needed all able-bodied adults to produce to keep the community fed and cared for. That is very likely the impetus to come up with other methods that allowed women to continue their normal daily life while menstruating.
In order for the ‘alternative to maxi pads’, which was rags or some form of plant or other matter, there had to be a way to suspend it where it was needed. In modern times this is known as underwear aka panties. But a lot of historical cultures did not have a garment of that type. Without getting detailed, if the culture did use something of the type, it was handled in a practical manner.
In ‘modern times’ in western society, say from the 1700’s onward, about, progress in western societies for handling menstruation has been frankly slow. But during the 20th century, as women began to enter the workforce in greater numbers, products for menstruation have evolved ever more rapidly.
There has been probably more change in how western women handle menstruation in the last 50 years than in the last 500. 🙂
A link to some details …
https://www.simplehealth.com/blog/a-history-of-menstrual-hygiene
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