Ancient Views on Sexuality Presentation by: Aliya Estes

Current Modern View Sexuality based on gender preference Heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, etc. Homsexuality is looked down on by religious grounds Heterosexuality is seen as the norm by Western Society A person’s sexuality defines who they are

Ancient Roman View Not concerned with inherent sexual preference Everyone respectable had to marry The purpose of marriage was to produce children to give/receive dowry Wives were required to be chaste (to be sure the children she had were the husband’s) The Roman family was built upon marriage Romans were okay with homsexuality (MYTH...kind of) “The line does not exist” No enacted societal principle of homosexuality being wrong The concept of heterosexuality/homosexuality was not developed Sex was for recreation and self-expression

In the text - The Satyricon Trimalchio and his cohorts are not held accountable/taken seriously by the audience for their misbehavior because they are not respectable people: none of the guests are married Trimalchio is married but he has no children This goes against traditional Roman lifestyle Their “antics” don’t count aka “the orgy”

The Teratogenic Grid Roman sexual schema is rigidly phallocentric Active by definition is male Passive by definition is female classification system not based on gender but on active versus passive Four sexual categories for people

Active vs. Passive Active normal/active male -- vir Antitype: passive/abnormal man - pathicus/cinaedaus Having sex with other men is proof that a man identified as a vir is a manly man Anything that does not involve penetration is in danger of passive label Passive normal/passive female -- femina/puella Antitype: active/abnormal woman - virago/tribas/moecha A woman is defined as one who is penetrated in the vagina -- puella/femina To be passive is to play the part of a woman

Two Important Prohibitions for Male Romans: Passive Sexuality Male being penetrated marked him as degraded/feminized Men were considered men because they were able to penetrate Only low status/no status men were penetrated Oral Sex The pleasure giver is in the inferior role For a man to give oral sex is for him to be passive Oral sex performed on woman was considered a source of permanent shame Romans had a paranoia about oral -- “Dirty Mouth”

The Teratogenic Grid

The Teratogenic Grid futere/pedicare/irrumare - to penetrate futuor/pedicator/irrumator - penetrator futui/pedicari/irrumari - to be penetrated cunnilinctor/cinaedus/fellator - the penetrated (male) puella/pathica/fellatrix - the penetrated (female)