The ancient Romans adopted many of the aesthetics of the Greeks, including their depiction of sex in art. Numerous sexually explicit paintings and sculptures have been recovered from ruined Roman buildings in Pompeii and Herculaneum. In the Villa of the Mysteries near Pompeii there were ritual flagellation scenes that are clearly associated with a religious cult, while graphic paintings in a brothel advertised sexual services in murals above each door. In Pompeii, phalli and testicles engraved in the sidewalks guided visitors to the prostitution and entertainment district.
The Romans considered sexual scenes for decoration to be in good taste, and one of the most infamous is the Warren Cup. One side depicts a man making love to a male youth, who lowers himself into the “reverse cowgirl” position using a rope from the ceiling, while the other side shows a beardless youth making love to a younger boy in the missionary anal position.
Currently housed in the British Museum in London, the cup was so controversial that it remained unexamined by scholars until 1993. Yet the ubiquity of such imagery suggests that the sexual mores of the ancient Romans were far more liberal than most present-day cultures.
Another society that didn’t regard sex as taboo, but rather as a spiritual act to be celebrated, was that of ancient India. The earliest Vedic texts hinted that sex was considered a mutual duty between a married couple, where husband and wife pleasured each other equally, but sex was still considered a private affair.
Sometime between the 1st and 6th centuries, the most famous book ever written about sex—the Kama Sutra—was created. Originally known as Vatsyayana Kamasutram (Vatsyayana’s Aphorisms on Love), this philosophical work was intended as both an exploration of human desire (including seduction and infidelity), and a technical guide to pleasing a sexual partner within marriage. And, of course, it has been profusely illustrated throughout the centuries, revealing the precise sexual positions for partners to engage in.
This detail, from the Rajput School in India (1790), demonstrates one of the complex poses of the Kama Sutra.
The Romans displayed erotic mosaics and frescos throughout their cities. This mural dates from 1st century Pompeii.
The Warren Cup was bought by The British Museum in 1999 for £1.8 million. The silver chalice shows the Roman idealization of Ancient Greece.
