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.
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. 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. 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.
Some sexual attitudes and behaviors in ancient Roman culture differ markedly from those in later Western societies. Prostitution was legal, public, and widespread. While perceived effeminacy was denounced, especially in political rhetoric, sex in moderation with male prostitutes or slaves was not regarded as improper or vitiating to masculinity, if the male citizen took the active and not the receptive role.
Hypersexuality , however, was condemned morally and medically in both men and women. Women were held to a stricter moral code, [ 18 ] and same-sex relations between women are poorly documented, but the sexuality of women is variously celebrated or reviled throughout Latin literature. In general the Romans had more fluid gender boundaries than the ancient Greeks. A lateth-century paradigm analyzed Roman sexuality in relation to a "penetratorβpenetrated" binary model.
This model, however, has limitations, especially in regard to expressions of sexuality among individual Romans. Ancient literature pertaining to Roman sexuality falls mainly into four categories: legal texts; medical texts; poetry; and political discourse. Information about the sex lives of the Romans is scattered in historiography , oratory , philosophy, and writings on medicine , agriculture , and other technical topics.
