Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L J Trafford
Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L J Trafford* was such a fascinating book. She wrote it in a funny way, making it a delight to read. I had some expectations when it comes to this topic in its pre-Christian era and, while some were confirmed, some were definitely not. For example the Romans had many more taboos than I ever imagined.
This is a sensitive topic because it deals with things that we are horrified about, like pederasty and paedophilia. At that point marriage-age for girls was 12. The book contains so many incredible details, on homosexuality and how it was both seen and its definition, which is at least puzzling to say the least. Sexual taboos were different for men and women, very much so, which was, again another surprise in the book. I assumed that men and women were treated more equally than it was in reality.
Trafford touches on all aspects of sex and sexuality, including contraception and how to pick up a partner, how they were decorating their homes. She interestingly creates the image of the ideal men and the ideal woman. The book is very well structured. The information included is so interesting that it would be hard for me to pick up some highlights from the book. The best way to discover more is to pick up the book and enjoy it.
Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L J Trafford
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My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Pen & Sword History
Year it was published: 2021
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): History – Ancient
Pages: 224
About the author: L.J. Trafford studied Ancient History at the University of Reading after which she took a job as a Tour Guide in the Lake District. Moving to London in 2000 she began writing ‘The Four Emperors’ series. The series comprises four books – Palatine, Galba’s Men, Otho’s Regret and Vitellius’ Feast – which cover the dramatic fall of Nero and the chaotic year of the four emperors that followed. Palatine, published in 2015, received an Editor’s Choice Mark from the Historical Novel Society. Her first book for Pen and Sword, How to Survive in Ancient Rome was published in October 2020.
Website & Social Media Links: Pen and Sword
*I was sent a copy of Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L J Trafford for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
Well you sold me on this one. I already mentioned how much I love the time period and I’ll be curious to know how much of this I already know from previous reading. I’ve pre-ordered it on Kindle, to be released at the end of this month. Thanks!
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That’s fantastic!! I just hope you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did. xx
Ok! So I obviously know about homosexuality and paedophilia, but I had to look up pederasty, as that was a new word to me! —– I found the definition as part of a really detailed Wikipedia page, some sections of which I knew from educational history lessons, some of which were new and interesting —— I’m not sure that I am interested enough in the topic to read over 200 pages about it though, so I’ll probably pass on this one! —— I assume that this was required reading for your course, you certainly have an eclectic mix of books and topics to study 🙂
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Aww no, the book was for my entertainment and not for my studies. These topics are just a small amount of the things covered in the book, she also talks about fashion (hair-wise), home decorations, emperors’ personal life. So there are a lot of things to discover within the pages of the book. For me it was highly entertaining. 🙂