Joined by historian Honor Cargill-Martin, Tristan Hughes explores the real sex lives of ancient Rome.
From popular series to kinky paintings, there is a recurring image today of Romans as sex-mad degenerates. And although there are sex stories in the dozens from the Roman period, when it comes to their sex lives there is a lot to unpack.
In this video, Tristan Hughes takes a deep dive into the topic. Get ready: there are sexual references aplenty. He investigates the stories told by Roman authors and explores erotic imagery found in Roman sites across the Mediterranean and beyond. Who was it acceptable for Romans to marry? And why did gladiators become sex symbols?
Up Next in More Interviews
-
Debunking Myths of Spartan Warriors
Characterised as super soldiers, formidable fighters who would rather perish than surrender - their reputation truly did proceed them.
But how accurate is this image - and does it correlate with what the ancient sources actually tell us?
In this filmed episode of The Ancients podcast Sparta mi...
-
Who Owns History?
In the late 1960s, when many in the UK viewed colour television as tacky, art historian Kenneth Clarke was asked to produce a series all about Western Art. Clarke duly delivered on this assignment, creating the series ‘Civilisation’. At a time when there was a genuine belief that the world stood ...
-
The Room Where It Happened: Versaille...
Join Dan Snow and a hand picked team of experts for a thought-provoking panel discussion that delves into one of the most consequential diplomatic agreements of the 20th century: the Treaty of Versailles.
Representing Woodrow Wilson and America is Historian Alexandra Churchill, taking the perspe...
12 Comments