Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome
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- Create Date：2021-10-14 09:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：L.J. Trafford
- ISBN：1526786877
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Summary
From Emperors and empresses， poets and prostitutes， slaves and plebs， Ancient Rome was a wealth of different experiences and expectations。 None more so than around the subject of sex and sexuality。 The image of Ancient Rome that has come down to us is one of sexual excess: emperors gripped by perversion partaking in pleasure with whomever and whatever they fancied during week long orgies。 But how true are these tales of depravity？ Was it really a sexual free for all？ What were the laws surrounding sexual engagement？ How did these vary according to gender and class？ And what happened to those who transgressed the rules？
We invite you to climb into bed with the Romans to discover some very odd contraceptive devices， gather top tips on how to attract a partner and learn why you should avoid poets as lovers at all costs。 Along the way we'll stumble across potions and spells， emperors and their favourites and some truly eye-popping interior decor choices。
We invite you to climb into bed with the Romans to discover some very odd contraceptive devices， gather top tips on how to attract a partner and learn why you should avoid poets as lovers at all costs。 Along the way we'll stumble across potions and spells， emperors and their favourites and some truly eye-popping interior decor choices。
Reviews
Annarella
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It was an informative， compelling and entertaining read that made me learned something new about Ancient Rome。The author delivers a well researched and well written book， I appreciated the part about the moral models。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine
Krystle
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Engaging riveting historical look at sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome。 A very well written book with lots of intriguing information。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。*Thanks to Pen & Sword History & NetGalley for this Ebook in exchange for my honest review
Anne Morgan
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An entertainingly written and clearly well-researched book， this tells you all you ever wanted to know about sex lives in ancient Rome， including things you hadn't thought to ask。 The book starts with a warning I'd repeat: if you are easily offended/squeamish/sensitive about discussing any kind of sexual matter bluntly， put the book down。 Because， as Trafford shows us， the Romans considered sex something （usually） natural， with nothing private about private parts， and the sheer number of words t An entertainingly written and clearly well-researched book， this tells you all you ever wanted to know about sex lives in ancient Rome， including things you hadn't thought to ask。 The book starts with a warning I'd repeat: if you are easily offended/squeamish/sensitive about discussing any kind of sexual matter bluntly， put the book down。 Because， as Trafford shows us， the Romans considered sex something （usually） natural， with nothing private about private parts， and the sheer number of words they had to describe acts lets you know they talked about sex bluntly。 From what made a person attractive to what was considered normal sexual behavior （with plenty of gossip from ancient historians about those they claimed enjoyed sexual behaviors that were rather abnormal）; from love potions to health matters， actors and prostitutes to Senators and emperors， it is all here。 Trafford does a good job at reminding us when ancient sources should be considered reliable， unreliable， and conducting smear campaigns as well as bringing in archaeological finds to back up statements when possible。 Witty and clever， entertaining and informative， this is a great book for anyone interested in ancient Rome or sexuality throughout history。I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome is an engaging and well written look at sexual mores and behaviour in ancient Rome presented by L。 J。 Trafford。 Due out later in 2021 from Pen & Sword History， it's 192 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats。 This is a truly fascinating deep dive into the extant historical， cultural， and legal records from the Ancient world， chiefly Rome with brief forays into Greece， Africa， and other lands， p Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome is an engaging and well written look at sexual mores and behaviour in ancient Rome presented by L。 J。 Trafford。 Due out later in 2021 from Pen & Sword History， it's 192 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats。 This is a truly fascinating deep dive into the extant historical， cultural， and legal records from the Ancient world， chiefly Rome with brief forays into Greece， Africa， and other lands， partially in order to contrast the overwhelmingly male dominated Roman cultural mores of the time。 The author is a capable tour guide and explains the vast differences in an accessible manner。 Due to the paucity of surviving first person references， the necessary extrapolations she makes from secondary references and inferences are as carefully built up and reasonable as she can make them。This is not a titillating book; there's little at which to thrill or gawp。 Instead， it's a fascinating glimpse into a long vanished culture as foreign and odd to modern westerners as can be imagined。 The information is gathered into chapters by theme: morality， the culture for men， women， eunuchs， beauty & fashion， frustration & infidelity， function & dysfunction， religious significance， adultery， homosexuality， undesirable liasons， imagery and cultural references， and the ruling classes （who pretty much had their own rules）。 Although the book is well annotated throughout， the author has a light and humorous style and I found myself grinning often and even chuckling a few times at her witty repartee。 Many of the rules， laws， and rigid cultural mores are/were quite bizarre and ridiculous to us （from our long distant viewpoint）。 She also does a good job of summoning compassion and pathos for the plight of slaves， freedmen， and women， most of whom had very very little （or no） control over their situations or lives。 The book mentions， but isn't overwhelmed by infamous historical characters （Caligula， Commodus， Nero， and others）。 In fact the author expends much effort visualising the everyday Romans who weren't writ large on the pages of history。 It's copiously annotated throughout and the chapter notes and bibliography will provide readers many hours of background。 There are also a number of photographs showing sculptures and artistic representations of many of the principal players as well as modern archaeological digsites and artifacts （note: some artifacts are NOT safe for work）。Five stars。 This is an illuminating and interesting book of history and never dryly academic or boring。 I had seven years of Latin at school and I -really- wish I'd had this book as a resource to enliven some of my school presentations。 This would be a good selection for public library acquisition， home library， and for readers of history and culture。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Kelly Macquire
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I was provided with this ARC for a review from Netgalley。 Originally posted on my blog。 With this one， the entire premise of the book is in the title- Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome。 Trafford begins by outlining the language used in Ancient Rome that has anything to do with sex or sexuality， she introduces these concepts and then explains them so you’re aren’t left lost throughout the book when they inevitably come up again。 She then travels through the intricate and somewhat scandalous histo I was provided with this ARC for a review from Netgalley。 Originally posted on my blog。 With this one， the entire premise of the book is in the title- Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome。 Trafford begins by outlining the language used in Ancient Rome that has anything to do with sex or sexuality， she introduces these concepts and then explains them so you’re aren’t left lost throughout the book when they inevitably come up again。 She then travels through the intricate and somewhat scandalous history of sex in Ancient Rome from the perfect virtuous man and the ideal chaste woman， to how to find a woman and who you are and are not meant to be seen fondling in the forum。 She details erotic wall paintings and statues， the concept of witchcraft， the tantalising beauty and fashion and what was all the rage to help you pull on the streets of Rome。 Not to mention， Trafford takes it upon herself to tell us all about the sexual exploits of the most well-known figures from Ancient Rome， and she does all this with ample evidence （both textual and archaeological）。 In short， Trafford answers everything you have ever wanted （and really not wanted） to know about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome！ Sex was very much on public display in ancient Rome。 It was depicted in art， discussed in poetry， scrawled on walls and used in politics to smear your opponent。 （x-xi） This book was a massive undertaking， and may I say the L J Trafford understood the task and executed it incredibly well。 In this book， you will find chapters named things like Getting Down to Business: Sex， Sexual Problems and Solutions， Undesirable Partners and How to be Sexy: Beauty and Fashion （just to give you an idea of the types of things discussed）！ As a fairly short book （sitting at only 197 pages）， Trafford condenses everything you need to know about the Romans in a way that is really easy to read。 Her language is colloquial， and her quips and inputs into some of the debauchery that went on in Ancient Rome made me laugh out loud。 With her hilarious commentary comes an obvious attempt to remove any modern bias that could be placed upon the way sex， marriage， relationships and all that was used and experienced in Ancient Rome。 She reminds the reader over and over that there isn’t really any way we can fully understand the meanings behind the erotic images， or the social importance embedded into the rules and laws attached to relationships and sex， but we can do our best！ I loved that as Trafford was discussing some facet of Roman sexual experience， she would then bring in detailed case studies and examples from history。 We simply cannot know because we do not share the same cultural background and baggage。 The imagery and what it means is lost to us。 （158） Although sometimes Trafford seemed to take the poetry and writings of men like Ovid and Catullus at face value， often she used it to help build the whole picture around the topic she was handling at that time。 It is unsurprising that the book was focused on men and boys and what was expected of them （both from an imperial lens， but also the freedmen and slaves） rather than women for the pure reason that we have a lot more information on men than women。 With that being said， Trafford interspersed what we do know about women （imperial， slaves， prostitutes etc） throughout the book in what seemed like as much detail that was available。 It was really wonderful to see different types of evidence （images， paintings， statues and literature）， all used together to try and piece together just what sex was like in Ancient Rome， and although it was a quick tour， it was still detailed and highly enjoyable。 。。。more
Michaela
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Really good historical as well as entertaining book about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome， mostly dominated by the free males。 Though it starts with juicy details about penises in Pompej and other places， it then covers several topics like gender， beauty， love， magic and religion， power， sexuality with men/women/eunuchs etc。 and everything that was forbidden too。 Very well researched and being open if something is not clarified。 Though some of Trafford´s remarks are funny， I thought some were Really good historical as well as entertaining book about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome， mostly dominated by the free males。 Though it starts with juicy details about penises in Pompej and other places， it then covers several topics like gender， beauty， love， magic and religion， power， sexuality with men/women/eunuchs etc。 and everything that was forbidden too。 Very well researched and being open if something is not clarified。 Though some of Trafford´s remarks are funny， I thought some were also unnecessarily flippant。 On the whole a great and easy read， especially when you´re familiar with poets and politicians of Ancient Rome。Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Natalie Freese
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This historical research book was a pleasure to read， No pun intended。 Every generation likes to think they are the ones to test the boundaries and indulge in new things But history shows us we are tighter in our "morals" than ever before。 It is just with the internet we are seeing and hearing everything once kept private。Enter the ancient Romans。 They were the inventors of the LGBTQ movement and no one batted an eye， AND a lot of things can happen when bathing is a social outing。 LJ Trafford is This historical research book was a pleasure to read， No pun intended。 Every generation likes to think they are the ones to test the boundaries and indulge in new things But history shows us we are tighter in our "morals" than ever before。 It is just with the internet we are seeing and hearing everything once kept private。Enter the ancient Romans。 They were the inventors of the LGBTQ movement and no one batted an eye， AND a lot of things can happen when bathing is a social outing。 LJ Trafford is known for her deep dives into history and coloring outside of the lines in her accounts。 This time is no different and I felt myself gasp a few times and I don't think I am uninformed in any of the areas discussed。 This is the kind of book my generation would of have snuck out of the library for a good laugh and some education。 well done。 。。。more
Emma
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Very interesting and informative book about the sexuality of the Roman Empire and its moral laws。 However， it was a bit slow at times but otherwise it was a good book。ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley。
Ari
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A casual and yet compelling account of Rome’s view on sexuality。The general perception of classical Rome is one of debauchery， but we also have an image of her as the creator of arts and intellectual thought。 The author L。 J。 Trafford shows us how this culture in which sexuality is very important grew， and how it affected the daily life of the Romans even causing the creation of new laws （Leges Juliae， Lex Papia et Poppaea）。 One of the reasons why sex and sexuality were very normal topics in the A casual and yet compelling account of Rome’s view on sexuality。The general perception of classical Rome is one of debauchery， but we also have an image of her as the creator of arts and intellectual thought。 The author L。 J。 Trafford shows us how this culture in which sexuality is very important grew， and how it affected the daily life of the Romans even causing the creation of new laws （Leges Juliae， Lex Papia et Poppaea）。 One of the reasons why sex and sexuality were very normal topics in the upper echelons of society could be summarized with this comment by the author: “The link between greed and excess was so established in the Roman mind that whenever we find laws aimed at controlling sexual behavior， we also find sumptuary laws limiting prices or access to luxury goods。 Any Roman who displayed an excessive love of luxury was bound to show similar excesses in their sexual life”。 In other words， a life of luxury entailed an intrinsic relationship to an intense sex life。 Therefore， in our minds we have a clear image of the brazen life of Caligula， Nero or Commodus。 The lives of middle-class civilians already had sex very much in mind and the very fact that the actions of their emperors have reached us today， goes to show that the things they did， even the population of that time thought were a bit too much。 One of the ways in which we see how the Romans viewed sex is through their literature: from Artemidorus’ interpretations of dreams to Ovid’s poems and advice on how to seduce a woman。 And what connects those works of literature to the layman is language， a subject to which Trafford dedicates a very necessary space， since it is through this that the Romans often insulted themselves using sexual images to subdue the opponent （being the worst insults about the lack of masculinity of the other party）。 When some citizens or emperors deviated from what were the ‘moral behavior’ or what was considered a decent attitude， it was the censors who imposed the traditional rules of deportment。 But what was the exemplary image of a virtuous man or woman？ The author gives some examples with Lucrecia （wife of King Tarquin Superbus） and Cincinnatus who was made dictator twice to fight a battle and after this， returned his power to the People。 Not only does this book break down what the intimate relationships of the Romans were like （with explicit detail）， but there is also space for beauty and hairstyle tips， the lives of eunuchs and hermaphrodites， Vestal Virgins and homosexuals （an idea that was very different for them）。 While the primary sources are very varied， and sometimes thankfully obscure， Trafford maintains a casual but not too colloquial tone， that’s why sometimes through the book one would believe that he is reading a tabloid exposing someone’s dirty secrets。Taking information from many different sources， with an entertaining voice， and focusing on niche topics well compartmentalized throughout， this book has pertinent information for all types of readers， be they academic or first-timers。 This is a much needed and loquacious compilation on the dirtiest secrets of Classical Rome。 ~ 。。。more
Mariana Cevallos
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Although the title suggest we are going to learn only about sex， this book， goes more far than that'Sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome' can be read as a history book， with all what it implies。 Sexuality， love， magic， women， men， social manners， deep complex ideals and ways from ancient Rome。。。 you will learn about all those things。Now， my knowledge about ancient Rome is not huge， as my main interest have always belonged to Greeks， so if you are a classicist I'm sure you can find some things that Although the title suggest we are going to learn only about sex， this book， goes more far than that'Sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome' can be read as a history book， with all what it implies。 Sexuality， love， magic， women， men， social manners， deep complex ideals and ways from ancient Rome。。。 you will learn about all those things。Now， my knowledge about ancient Rome is not huge， as my main interest have always belonged to Greeks， so if you are a classicist I'm sure you can find some things that could have been better。 Since I'm not， this book was really key to have a big and easy idea of all these themes that are their selves truly complicated and required a huge researchIs not doubt that the work from L。J。 Trafford is amazing， the read of this book is so easy， so captivating that you easily devour it and end up learning a lot of things that you only have clichés about。I truly recommend it to you all 。。。more
Julija
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Review to come！！
Graculus
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An entertaining read， well organised and covering a lot of ground in terms of the many salacious stories about individuals in ancient Rome， both famous and infamous （the latter being mostly either emperors or members of their families）。 The book covers issues around what is the ideal Roman man or woman， how sex was perceived to play a role in this but also how the existence of laws usually shows that people are still people and doing what they want to do。This book covered some areas of research An entertaining read， well organised and covering a lot of ground in terms of the many salacious stories about individuals in ancient Rome， both famous and infamous （the latter being mostly either emperors or members of their families）。 The book covers issues around what is the ideal Roman man or woman， how sex was perceived to play a role in this but also how the existence of laws usually shows that people are still people and doing what they want to do。This book covered some areas of research I was already familiar with but also touched on others I'd not come across before。 Perhaps one thing that could have been stressed more was the unreliability of the 'evidence' in some cases about people's supposed actions - it's been commonplace to use exaggeration to slander previous rulers within every civilisation， I suspect， and there's maybe a little too much taken as gospel here for my liking。 That's a difficult path to walk， however， and I can see why the author might have chosen to use a light hand when pointing out the flaws of some things that are stated to have been done。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley。 I am writing an honest review of my own choice， in order to help other potential readers。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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Gossipy and salacious， this is sure to whet the appetites of any reader who has had questions or wondered about sex in Ancient Rome。 The author covers a wide array of topics and doesn't shy away from any prudery。 It’s all exposed， along with graphic descriptions of sex among the Romans。 While much of the book focuses on men， women are not forgotten。 It’s an eye opening read with much information to offer。 Thanks to the Pen and Sword and NetGalley for the early copy。 Gossipy and salacious， this is sure to whet the appetites of any reader who has had questions or wondered about sex in Ancient Rome。 The author covers a wide array of topics and doesn't shy away from any prudery。 It’s all exposed， along with graphic descriptions of sex among the Romans。 While much of the book focuses on men， women are not forgotten。 It’s an eye opening read with much information to offer。 Thanks to the Pen and Sword and NetGalley for the early copy。 。。。more
Kristine
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Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L。J。 Trafford is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-JulyChapters on intercommunication， governance， ideal gender roles， visual attraction， leisure， pleasure， and forbidden love - it's quite saucy and upfront with viewpoints from many philosophical and leadership figures in Rome。 Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L。J。 Trafford is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-JulyChapters on intercommunication， governance， ideal gender roles， visual attraction， leisure， pleasure， and forbidden love - it's quite saucy and upfront with viewpoints from many philosophical and leadership figures in Rome。 。。。more
kiers
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*3。5Arc received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。An interesting read not just in the sexual activities of Romans， but the lives they lead as well。 There was a lot of interesting information in this book for its length， and I really appreciated how the author sprinkled in some humor in the writing — although sometimes it's like they're trying too hard。 Very well-researched， attention-getting， and everything was explained in a way that wasn't clunky。 *3。5Arc received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。An interesting read not just in the sexual activities of Romans， but the lives they lead as well。 There was a lot of interesting information in this book for its length， and I really appreciated how the author sprinkled in some humor in the writing — although sometimes it's like they're trying too hard。 Very well-researched， attention-getting， and everything was explained in a way that wasn't clunky。 。。。more
Katelyn
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This is one of the best nonfiction titles I've read so far this year。 I devoured this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic。 The book covered pretty much everything I could have dreamed of on the topic of sex and sexuality from the stories of famous Roman debauchery to Rome's fear of decreasing morality and yes， the book even discusses their view of same-sex relationships。 It was fascinating to see how while some aspects of Roman culture may seem alien to us in the moder This is one of the best nonfiction titles I've read so far this year。 I devoured this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic。 The book covered pretty much everything I could have dreamed of on the topic of sex and sexuality from the stories of famous Roman debauchery to Rome's fear of decreasing morality and yes， the book even discusses their view of same-sex relationships。 It was fascinating to see how while some aspects of Roman culture may seem alien to us in the modern day， other aspects about human nature never really change。The wealth of examples straight from Rome included in this book made the peek into Roman culture fun and taught me about people， cultural taboos and expectations I didn't know about。 The style of the writing and topic breakdowns made everything easy to absorb and sucked me right in without the material ever feeling dry or too academic。 And while this book is hilarious at times， it does explore the darker side of sexuality and taboos as well， including topics that could make some readers uncomfortable like rape and infant exposure。 。。。more
Meaghan Babin
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A really great and informative book that brings light to sex and sexuality in ancient Rome！ This book really sheds light on all aspects of ancient Roman sexuality from homosexuality， ideals， sexual problems and beauty standards。 This book really gets down to the nitty gritty of everything sex and sex adjacent in Ancient Rome。
Lucy Langford
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This book gave an intriguing whistle-stop-tour on sex and sexuality in Rome， including its practices， laws and views。 This was a super fascinating book！ Delving into topics such as the Morality Laws introduced by Augustus; the ideals of virtuous men and chaste women; the differences of law between freed people and freed born; love potions; homosexuality; prostitutes; and the all important salacious lives of the emperors。This book was just filled with so many fascinating facts that I’ve ended up This book gave an intriguing whistle-stop-tour on sex and sexuality in Rome， including its practices， laws and views。 This was a super fascinating book！ Delving into topics such as the Morality Laws introduced by Augustus; the ideals of virtuous men and chaste women; the differences of law between freed people and freed born; love potions; homosexuality; prostitutes; and the all important salacious lives of the emperors。This book was just filled with so many fascinating facts that I’ve ended up making a tonne of notes。 I enjoyed learning how Romans viewed sex and sexuality， and how these changed later when Christianity was introduced and perceptions/laws shifted。 Examples include how there is no Roman equivalent of the word homosexuality- you were not defined by the gender you were attracted to/having sex with， but rather by the act that you partook in。 I learned the preferences for hair on both males and females （I had no clue that back then it was usual to be fully bare from the shoulders down in some cases）。 I also enjoyed learning and taking notice of the rather debauchery lifestyles of some of the Emperors and their wives or mistresses， and how they would implement their status to get around Morality laws。Overall this book was such a fun and informative read。 The author was also SUPER witty and it was just such a joy to read！ Think the wittiness and sarcasm of Mary Beard and Natalie Haynes- and if you enjoy their work you’ll also like this authors prose。The cover of this book immediately drew my eye and after reading the title I immediately requested it。 Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this Arc。 。。。more
Jack Bates
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This is loads of fun。 If you've read Trafford's novels， or Emma Southron's books， you'll enjoy this speedy romp through the sex lives and attitudes of the Romans。 From laws about adulterly to attitudes to bestiality， is covers it all at a smart pace and is very entertaining。 The Romans seem so modern in many ways it's always good to be reminded there were things they saw very differently to us。 And who knew they thought going bald was an illness？ Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ch This is loads of fun。 If you've read Trafford's novels， or Emma Southron's books， you'll enjoy this speedy romp through the sex lives and attitudes of the Romans。 From laws about adulterly to attitudes to bestiality， is covers it all at a smart pace and is very entertaining。 The Romans seem so modern in many ways it's always good to be reminded there were things they saw very differently to us。 And who knew they thought going bald was an illness？ Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this。 。。。more
Bandit
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The sexual politics， policies， preferences， peculiarities and predilections of Ancient Romans are laid bare （as it were） in this wildly amusing and informative guide to the red light districts of the antiquities （as it were）。 It’s nearly impossible to do a serious review of this book， because well， you know…but the thing is it is at its base a credible work of scholarship and research， informative， educational， edifying， all that。 And Romans certainly left a lot to work with， from their bawdy The sexual politics， policies， preferences， peculiarities and predilections of Ancient Romans are laid bare （as it were） in this wildly amusing and informative guide to the red light districts of the antiquities （as it were）。 It’s nearly impossible to do a serious review of this book， because well， you know…but the thing is it is at its base a credible work of scholarship and research， informative， educational， edifying， all that。 And Romans certainly left a lot to work with， from their bawdy poetry to their bodacious graffiti to their bold personal accounts。 It’s all about as wild and naughty and male centric as you’d expect from the people who had something like 120 words in their language for a penis。 Which was also their preferred and most auspicious graffiti tag。 The Ancient Roman society was strictly patriarchal as were its recorders， so what’s been passed down through generations is a culture where men ruled and women were bought， sold and traded for political power， dowries， etc。 Men essentially made all the decisions and went to all the wars。 Which may have had some fairness since love had none。 But at least divorces were easily obtained。 The average marriage age started at 12。 The number of kids to have for a woman to prove oneself as a valid member of society and get some government perks was three， despite the high mortality rates for children and risks for mothers。 The women had virtually no rights。 Although the society had a large slave base， so the women were never quite at the bottom of the social ranks。 The boys officially became men at 15。 And then they partied。 A lot。 That is， of course， an oversimplification， but it isn’t inaccurate。 Then again there was also eunuchs and slaves and freedmen/women and all sorts of class rules governing those divisions。 And then there was the man/boy love， enough of it to put the Greeks to shame。 The ever so popular preference for men to lay with boys， ideally much younger ones， in a sort of pervert/pedagogue position。 There was a ton of rules for these relationships， but essentially so long as the man was the top， it was fair play and challenged his manliness not at all。 In fact， the Romans barely differentiated sex by gender， opting for the sex acts themselves。 To which they ascribed various degrees of shame according to their concepts of things like virtus （what a man ought to be like）， etc。 It is quite telling that the lesbian relationships in the book cover all of maybe three pages， while the male homosexual ones go on， and on and on like a creepy energizer bunny。 Apparently， those were their pagan ways and until the ascent of Christianity shamed them into recognizing it as sin， they were all about it。 But whoever they did it with and however much they bragged/b*itched about it in their poetry， the ancient romans got around。 And this book will help you get your mind around how they did it。 It’s a very well rounded and concise account that covers great many areas and uncovers just as many and does it all hilariously。 In fact， this is exactly how I like my nonfiction and who wouldn’t want to be taught and amused at the same time， occasionally to the laugh out loud levels。 I absolutely loved the tone the author chose for this book， in a way it perfectly matched its contents。 There’s plenty of photos too， for those who can’t quite make it to the museum to check out the stunningly racy art the Romans left behind， behinds and all。 A bunch of perverts…just like the rest of us。 All in all， a great read。 I enjoyed it very much。 Recommended。 Thanks Netgalley。This and more at https://advancetheplot。weebly。com/ 。。。more
Adam Windsor
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NB: free copy received for an honest reviewThis is an eye-opening， free-wheeling and extremely frank account of Roman attitudes， beliefs and practices when it comes to sex， with a focus on the pre-Christian empire。 The author approaches the topic without handwringing and with a wry sense of humour - perhaps verging a little too often into flippancy at times。Highly readable and full of information about a culture that had very different perspectives on sex than our own。
Tabitha Ormiston-Smith
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It isn't often that a book so totally changes my view of anything as this latest offering from the erudite and witty Trafford did of Ancient Rome。 I'd always thought of the Romans as a clean-minded， clean-living sort of people - it's the image I was given of them in primary school， and I'd never really questioned it。In this exploration of their sexual mores， though， I saw a people so different than I'd imagined - not just in their morality， but in their world view， in some ways more alien to my It isn't often that a book so totally changes my view of anything as this latest offering from the erudite and witty Trafford did of Ancient Rome。 I'd always thought of the Romans as a clean-minded， clean-living sort of people - it's the image I was given of them in primary school， and I'd never really questioned it。In this exploration of their sexual mores， though， I saw a people so different than I'd imagined - not just in their morality， but in their world view， in some ways more alien to my own than those of countries with cultures I've been accustomed to think of as far more 'foreign'， such as Japan。We are fortunate to have an historian of such rigour to tease out this fascinating view。 Although the salacious anecdotes are sometimes shocking and often hilarious， it is in this new way of seeing the Romans that the book really shines， and in showing us it， Trafford affords us a tantalising glimpse into the arts and methods of the historian。I hope there will be more books in this vein from the author， I could envisage a whole series， each dealing with a particular perspective on Roman life。 I'm not sure whether the book was more enjoyable or more instructive， but as both scores pretty well maxed out， it doesn't really matter。 。。。more
Nicole Nieto
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A quick trip through Rome， with a critical eye towards sex and sexuality。 This book was an interesting look into the sexual lives of Roman men and women and the rules they lived by。 It had a bit of a slow pace， but I was definitely engaged and I learned a lot of new things。 For one， I was surprised to find out that there were actual morality laws in Rome。 But it’s things like that that kept me invested and coming back for more。（I received this book from the publisher on Netgalley。）
Norma
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Interesting。 Not for those with sensitivities to strong language。 I liked the straightforward approach of this book and the way it was written。 Good book。
Claire
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