Sex in the Ancient World: Rome

Early Romans made up a society that lived by a strict code of honor and shame. They held piety and rationalism in the utmost regard, but accepted that violence and brutality were a regular part of life. However, despite the stoic exterior of this classic civilization, many contradictions were kept from view, including a system of widespread prostitution, sexual slavery, and a thriving sex trade that involved practically every layer of society.

Sexual Culture

In ancient Rome, the attitude toward sex was extremely liberal – as least for the noble classes - reflecting a variety of sexual exploits and diversions. Sexual freedom also extended to the other wealthy classes, and as long as these specific classes weren’t too public about their erotic activities, they could maintain separation between their guiltless public persona and their often excessive taste for self-gratification and merriment. But there were certain specific rules about who did what to whom!

Sex and Power

The concept of honor and restraint – particularly when it came to sex and drink - were virtues that indicated strength of will, an esteemed quality that united the sexes, particularly men. For the males, manliness encompassed the ability to express power over one's own emotions and to use that power to control others. Too-frequent ejaculation was thought to weaken men and hyper-sexuality was condemned.

A theme that often reoccurred in Roman literature was the concept that sexual activity is actually an expression of power. During sexual congress, the person penetrating the other is in control, and thus exerting a powerful identity, while the person being penetrated has lost control and is therefore of a weaker, degraded status. The association Romans made between sex and power became so strong that the two eventually became synonymous, leading Ancient Rome to eventually become a hotbed for greed and lust.

Marriage

Marriages in ancient Rome took place to extend status, increase wealth, or cultivate political alliances. Since their role in marriage was not primarily sexual, Roman wives were spared from the degradation that often crept into sexual relations. A wife’s part in the marriage was a social one, involving many functions unrelated to sex, such as being a mother, a hostess, and manager of the household. Much like the wives of {Ancient Greece}, being married afforded her protection from her male kin, however harsh its texture, as well as economic assurance.

Roman wives were rarely required to have sex with their husbands, but weren’t permitted to take lovers themselves. Should they decide to carry on an extramarital affair, wives had to be discreet, and if they were caught had to pay a heavy price. The male head of household had the power of life and death over all members of his home and was able to exert that power, mercilessly. However, according to literature of the time, harsh penalties weren’t enough to slow down Roman wives, particularly the upper-class women, who took lovers from all levels of society and joined in orgies, moonlit at brothels, and also hired male prostitutes.

The Roman Sex Trade

Prostitution

Prostitution was commonplace in ancient Roman and reflected the ambivalence of its citizens toward pleasure and sexuality. The sex trade reflected many of the contradictions of Roman society and both men and women took advantage of sex for sale. Most prostitutes in Ancient Rome were slaves, brought to Rome from conquered lands like Europe, North Africa, and Asia - and forced to do what their masters demanded. Some prostitutes, on the other hand, were free women who sold themselves out of desperation rather than enslavement.

What drove free women to turn tricks for money? Low end prostitutes could earn up to three times the wage of an unskilled male laborer, at the low end taking payment of two copper coins per customer – equal to the cost of a loaf of bread, while at the high-end charging ten times as much - leaving her to service only one or two clients a day. There is also evidence that noble women sold their bodies for thrills, a dangerous pursuit that could result in scandal, or even banishment or death if they were married.

Male prostitutes were also involved in the sex trade, many of whom were gladiators or actors, who were low on the social totem pole but renowned for their sexual allure. There are many accounts of wealthy, upper class women taking them as paid lovers. Unfortunately for the male prostitute, even at his best, he could only earn a fraction of a female’s price.

Brothels

Sex in the brothels of ancient Rome was relatively cheap, but it was a cash-rich business that could bring in a lot of income - if not the prostitutes themselves, then their exploiters. The brothel pimps would recruit the staff, sets the prices, enforce discipline, handle rents, and (when necessary), bribe the police. But the pimp was not the owner of the brothel. The true owner was usually a member of the upper class, including well-born noblemen. Although brothels were a profitable business, it was not considered entirely respectable, so the owners keep a bit of distance from the business.

Sex Clubs and Swingers’ Parties

To say the least, the elite's view of sex was complicated by strict moral censure, which helps explain why there was so much of it going on behind closed doors. Sometimes wild, erotically charged parties were thrown to gain favor with a political official or to advance social and/or political gain. Whether sex was paid for or not, it was also about power - and some members of the upper class saw it as a mark of control, an instrument of wealth that could be used as a tool for personal advancement. An elite Roman would put on such gatherings for his friends, bringing in both women and men, presumably prostitutes, to ‘entertain’ the guests.

Roman Baths

Prostitutes also practiced their trade at public venues in this ancient civilization - at the infamous Roman Baths; these were huge palaces dedicated to pleasure and enjoyment. It was, by all accounts, an atmosphere of anything goes and everything for sale, including food, drink and (of course) sex. Behind its opulent walls, intricately decorated by frescos, the rich mingled with the poor, united by the one thing they had in common there - nudity. The baths were a highly erotic, sexually charged environment, but the extent to which Romans would enjoy their sexual freedom would soon become limited…

Morality Laws

The head-of-state in ancient Rome changed numerous times and in 44 B.C. Augustus replaced Julius Caesar as the leader of the Roman world. Unlike Caesar, reportedly a playboy and pansexual, Augustus had a conservative agenda, and around 10 B.C. passed a series of laws that promoted family values. They included rules such as: the elite could only marry within their class and bear noble children; childless couples were penalized; bachelors, taxed; but most importantly, adultery became a criminal offense.

But what about prostitution? Like most Roman nobles, Augustus didn’t openly approve of sex for sale, but accepted it as a fact of life. He believed that a man was better off having sex with his slave or a prostitute, even his wife, than having an affair with another married noble. To complement his new morality laws, the government not only began to tax prostitution, it also imposed strict registration requirements on all prostitutes, reinforcing the social distance between the classes even further. Ironically, Augustus' prohibition on adultery not only created a larger reliance on prostitution, it made the prostitution industry boom.

Final Thoughts

The history of sex in ancient Rome gives a snapshot of a pivotal time in the classical age when sex-for-hire and wild sex orgies revealed a sexually ambivalent side of Romans that they tried unsuccessfully to keep under wraps. Also, the attitude of sex being ‘currency’ is telling of the enormous impact that sex exerted on society in general within mighty empires such as this.