Reviews incest in Greek mythology, the Bible, and in pre-Christian, Egypt, Persia, Rome, and the Incan empire. Changing perceptions of incest across cultures and times, which progressively moved away from the acceptance of incestuous relationships, are discussed. Several theories, including those of Freud (1953), B. Malinowsky (1927), C. Levi-Strauss (1969), and G. P. Murdock (1969) are reviewed, which place the significance of the incest taboo in a historical continuum that is still evolving.