Romosexuality: sexuality in the ancient world

The Roman world is familiar to everyone, it seems: in popular culture, the classical past needs no introduction.

It may be ancient, but it is not exotic. Until we look at how academics think and write about it, though, then we discover that the Roman world is quite different from its popular portrayal.

Were Roman attitudes to sex and sexuality so close to our own as to be virtually indistinguishable? Where do we derive our understanding of Roman attitudes? What was life like for men attracted to other men in the ancient world? Was it the ‘gay paradise’ that some have suggested?