LJ Trafford

A look at how the Ancient Romans looked at sex and sexuality. We have the writings of the ancient historians but since they were usually writing at a later time, it is hard to put a lot of credence in some of their stories about people and emperors. Each one had a bias toward or against emperors. There are some who are writing at the time they are living so their stories can be more believed. We also have the art from that time but do not always know the facts behind the art so the modern historian has to assume what some of it means.

I enjoyed this book. There are times when the Ancient Romans are very straight-laced in public. In private, it is a different story. The public face is what is important to them so if you are doing what you should do in public, it is assumed your private life agrees with it.

Naturally, we know little about the women as it is men writing the history as well as being seen in the public domain. We are told a little about the women based on how they affected the story of the men.

I liked that there was a bibliography given so I can look further into topics if I choose. A good quick look into Ancient Rome and their behaviors.… (meer)

Ancient Rome is notorious for being a freewheeling, utterly debauched society. The author looks at this in depth, discussing the following: the ideal virtuous man and chaste woman, how to be sexy and find a partner, the use of magic and religion in matters of the heart, the complex and often hypocritical notion of adultery, homosexuality, what was considered taboo, and more.

I really enjoyed this book quite a lot. The author doesn't mince words, and she writes with a wry sense of humor about her subject matter. It was fascinating to learn about the complex and often hypocritical morality laws that were in place; there is a definite double standard for men and women, given that this is a patriarchal society. I was particularly fascinated to read about the empress Messalina, whose sexual exploits were legendary.… (meer)

A very thorough, in-depth study regarding what we can know about Roman views on sex and sexuality from literary and archaeological sources.

The author explores every facet of sexuality: general attitudes, history and development, the male perspective, female perspective, slaves, expressions of sexuality, divorce, adultery, and analysis of the claims regarding the sexual proclivities of various emperors.

The book has many valuable insights. Understanding Roman sexuality in terms of penetrator vs. penetrated, and the hierarchy of shame in what was penetrated (least to most, vagina, anus, mouth) is essential for the many discussions about sex as it relates in that culture and that time. The same sex sexuality discussion was interesting: the author does show that for men there wasn't really a same sex relationship culture, but there were some instances of lesbian relationships at the time, which more likely speaks to power dynamics than anything else. And, of course, the importance of remembering the likely continual sexual exploitation of both genders by their masters.

Important reading for understanding Roman times.

**--galley received as part of early review program… (meer)