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. ~

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.

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.

I’ve always found the idea of sex and sexuality in ancient Rome to be fascinating so this book did not disappoint.
It covered so many areas including the laws and views and was full of really interesting facts that were written in a way that made it enjoyable to read!

Gives an overview of the private and not so private goings-on of the Romans. Provides historical context to explain all the debauchery.

I am glad that I wasn't born in ancient Rome.

Gosh, they were something! The book was very informative. It started off bawdy and then it was amusing before slowly veneering into the grotesque territory. A man was executed because he wore purple cloth!! It was apparently very expensive and thus was extremely rude to flaunt in public perhaps?

If you want to learn more about the preparations of ancient Roman love potions, I am afraid you'll have to read the book by yourself. The ancient Romans sure were eccentric people. Different morality rule under different rulers. You can lose your job for hugging your wife in public and yet the emperor can marry off his daughter to his stepson who was also the step son-in-law of the said daughter?

Yes, the book covers every nook and corner of ancient Roman sexuality and morality and weird and ludicrous tales of depraved emperors and empresses.

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.

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.

"Time to discuss penises, because the Romans certainly did."

If you ever had the sudden desire to know anything (and I mean anything) about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome, this book almost definitely has the answers.

L J Trafford has certainly achieved a feat here, because condensing the entire context, understanding and (often baffling) narrative of sexuality in Ancient Rome is anything but light work. I read this text through the slightly-biased perspective of a Classicist who works in academic publishing, so though I do hold some criticism for the way Trafford presents an often potentially mis-leading representation of ancient sources (often taking words of ancient authors at face value or out of context to fit the argument at hand), I do believe they should be applauded for this whistle-stop tour of sex in the ancient world.

The volume is written and presented in a conversational, light-hearted manner, and undoubtedly will be enjoyed by the everyday curious individual. Trafford covers a vast amount of scope in their text, analysing Romans from every walk of life - plebs and emperors alike - something often overlooked or out of balance in competing trade titles. Various sources of ancient evidence (ranging from sculptures to vases to magical papyri - fantastic!) support Trafford's witty narrative, and the volume often had me laughing out loud (personal highlights include: the image descriptions in the prelims, the whole section on contraception, and 'A Short History of Beards').

Ultimately, bravo to Trafford. I would definitely recommend this work, and thank you very much to NetGalley and Pen & Sword History for the privilege!

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 adultery 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?

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.

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! I also loved the cover of this and it really drew me into requesting this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy. Entertaining, if somewhat limited, look at sexuality in the Ancient Roman Empire.

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.

NB: free copy received for an honest review

This 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.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review #netgalley

Very educational! Alot of facts I didn't know but am happy to now. The parts on women were particularly interesting.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

This book was informative and a real interesting read.

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.

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.

I received Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Some of the more salacious stories of the Roman Empire emphasize its sexual licentiousness; early scholars even blamed it in part for the empire's fall. Despite the moralizing Augustus' best efforts, a whole host of sexual behaviors were practiced by Romans across the empire. While strict gender roles were in place, there was plenty of room to play within--or outside of--those boundaries with a range of partners, particularly if you were wealthy and/or powerful.

This was quick and fairly light romp through Roman cultural history, looking at gender roles and how those constructs translated into love, marriage, sexuality, and masculinity and femininity. Of course, there is the nonconsensual sex--sex between slaves and masters, adults and children, unwilling spouses--which is troubling but unfortunately a considerable aspect of sexuality in ancient Rome. But on the whole, it's useful in exploring, at a birds' eye view, the cultural forces at work that determined dominant sexual mores if not sexual behavior.