Spanish historian says big breasts and penises were objects of ridicule in ancient Rome

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— Sex is always a controversial topic when discussed in academia, Patricia emphasizes, noting that it remains difficult to approach the subject beyond a collection of simple anecdotes.

According to a historian whose mission is to break down this barrier, sex for ancient Romans was “very different from ours, and at the same time very similar.” Through her research, she seeks to understand our own habits more deeply, comparing this to today.

— The concept of sex (in ancient Rome) was conditioned by class, not gender. If you have the power, you can do anything you want. In general, as long as you’re a man and you’re an active part of a relationship with a woman or some other inferior male, almost everything is acceptable, he said, noting that rape and adultery are crimes. However, women have always been the ones bearing the brunt. — Gender-based violence was the norm at the time, and the real possibility for justice to intervene was very limited.

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Oral sex, he explains, was not socially acceptable. This act was considered humiliating to the perpetrator. That’s not to say it hasn’t been done, but “there’s very little innuendo or expression.”

The ancient Romans knew a lot about the female orgasm and the clitoris, and there are even medical sources that talk about manipulating this organ to “get rid of hysteria.” In any case, Patricia points out, “When a woman starts being raped at age 10 and has her first night with an adult man at age 12, a woman’s pleasure must be complicated.” The author emphasizes that it was common to associate the penis with “pilums”, spears and other weapons, and this says everything about the active use of male sexuality.

Interestingly, despite the abundance of stories, films, and series depicting Roman orgies and debauchery, historians say that ancient Romans were “very puritanical.”

-In reality, even expressing affection in public was frowned upon, he says.

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Patricia emphasizes that despite the aqueducts, roads, laws, and great culture that ancient Rome created, large-scale sexual violence was widespread.

–There was no consent at all. They didn’t have the words to explain what we often talk about now. The author says that the concept was imposed that women should completely submit to the will of men and that the humble should submit to those in power.

We might ask, “What did the Romans do for us regarding sex?” Patricia replies: