Things You Didn't Know About Hitler That Will Blow Your Mind

HOW DID DIFFERENT ERAS IN TIME TREAT SEX?

I'd like to spend April doing some breaks through history looking at how we've seen libido, the role of sex in marriage and culture, women's sexuality, and more. Sometimes we get to assume that our way of thinking about sex is just “the way things are,” and just “that’s the way our bodies are made.”

But when we see from other points in history that it actually wasn't assumed to be that way, then we can understand how much our culture has also played a role in shaping how we see sex!

WE’RE GOING TO START THIS SERIES LOOKING AT SEX IN ROMAN TIMES.

I chose that time period because that was the culture into which Paul was writing, and in which Jesus was living (although Jesus focused more on the Jewish culture of His day than the Roman side of it). That can help illuminate what Paul may have meant by different passages that he wrote about sex, too!

I asked Connor to comb through the history sites and books on hand and found out a few facts that we may not realize about how the Romans saw sex! Now, Connor wants you all to know that he's not a historian, but he only including stuff here if he found it from multiple sources! So let's take a look at 8 things I have discovered, and then I have a big overarching thought I want to share.

But first, here are my girls in front of the colosseum several years ago!

#1. PROSTITUTION WAS COMMON

In certain periods of Roman history, visiting a prostitute was considered normative for men, even if they were married, so long as it was a legitimate establishment. Brothels would often be located near upper class residences for convenience.

#2. PROSTITUTION SHARED A STIGMA WITH OTHER PROFESSIONS

While prostitution was common, it was not prestigious. Being a prostitute carried a negative stigma with it, but prostitutes were not alone in this. Any profession where one made a living by using their body to entertain was in the same category as prostitution. This included stage actors and gladiators.

#3. SEX WAS CONSIDERED ONE-SIDED

Sexual gratification was considered to be reserved for the husband in a relationship. For wives, their consolation prize was the opportunity to produce offspring. Wives were also expected to remain faithful while allowing their husbands to philander with any unmarried and agreeing women or boys they desired.

#4. SAME SEX INTERCOURSE WAS COMMON, BUT NOT CONSIDERED HOMOSEXUAL

The Romans did not look at people in terms of sexuality, but in terms of sexual roles. So long as a man was only ever the penetrator, and never the penetrated, he was still considered strong and masculine. But in the eyes of the Romans, if a man was on the receiving end he was adopting the role of the woman, and he was reviled as effeminate.

#5. SEX WAS ABOUT POWER

Because sex was generally framed in this dynamic of dominant and submissive roles, which carried social implications and ramifications, power differentials were baked into the fabric of sexual life. A man with status had a lot of license to engage in sexual liaisons outside of his marriage with anyone who held a lower place in society. In fact it is generally the most powerful people in Roman society who have the longest list of varied exploits and specific fetishes. Even wealthy women are reported to have had sexual appetites for lower-order men like dancers and gladiators.