Sexuality in ancient Rome - Wikipedia

Toggle the table of contents Sexuality in ancient Rome 14 languages Afrikaans العربية Català Dansk Español Français Gaeilge Galego Italiano עברית Nederlands Português Türkçe Українська Edit links Article Talk English Read Edit View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Download QR code Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Attitudes and behaviors towards sex in ancient Rome .mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}} This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably . Consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding subheadings . Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page . ( November 2024 ) Satyr and nymph , mythological symbols of sexuality for their respective sexes, on a mosaic from a bedroom in Pompeii . Sexual attitudes and behaviors in ancient Rome are indicated by art , literature , and inscriptions , and to a lesser extent by archaeological remains such as erotic artifacts and architecture . It has sometimes been assumed that "unlimited sexual license" was characteristic of ancient Rome, [ 1 ] [ 2 ] but sexuality was not excluded as a concern of the mos maiorum , the traditional social norms that affected public, private, and military life. [ 3 ] Pudor , "shame, modesty", was a regulating factor in behavior, [ 4 ] as were legal strictures on certain sexual transgressions in both the Republican and Imperial periods. [ 5 ] The censors — public officials who determined the social rank of individuals—had the power to remove citizens from the senatorial or equestrian order for sexual misconduct, and on occasion did so. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] The mid-20th-century sexuality theorist Michel Foucault regarded sex throughout the Greco-Roman world as governed by restraint and the art of managing sexual pleasure. [ 8 ] Roman society was patriarchal (see paterfamilias ), and masculinity was premised on a capacity for governing oneself and others of lower status, not only in war and politics, but also in sexual relations. [ 9 ] Virtus , "virtue", was an active masculine ideal of self-discipline, related to the Latin word for "man", vir . The corresponding ideal for a woman was pudicitia , often translated as chastity or modesty, but it was a more positive and even competitive personal quality that displayed both her attractiveness and self-control. [ 10 ] Roman women of the upper classes were expected to be well educated, strong of character, and active in maintaining their family's standing in society. [ 11 ] With extremely few exceptions, surviving Latin literature preserves the voices of educated male Romans on sexuality. Visual art was created by those of lower social status and of a greater range of ethnicity, but was tailored to the taste and inclinations of those wealthy enough to afford it, including, in the Imperial era , former slaves. [ 12 ] Some sexual attitudes and behaviors in ancient Roman culture differ markedly from those in later Western societies . [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Roman religion promoted sexuality as an aspect of prosperity for the state, and individuals might turn to private religious practice or " magic " for improving their erotic lives or reproductive health. Prostitution was legal, public, and wides...