The Romans were massive bottom shamers | Photo: ITV2 Bromans Where did Roman soldiers get their ‘Masc 4 Masc’ attitudes?ĭominance was at the very heart of what it meant to be a Roman.īy the time the first Roman Emperor Augustus came to power in 27 BCE, the Roman rule stretched across half of the known world.Įxtending from Syria and Egypt in the east right across to Northern France and Germany in the west, Britain would come into the fold 70 years later under Emperor Claudius. Meanwhile they championed the dominance of tops or the person doing the fucking.Īnd it’s all down to the important role of class and slaves in Roman society.īecause it was perfectly acceptable for a Roman man to have sex with either a man or woman – so long as he was the top. Instead, they focused their prejudice on the submissive or feminine, or the bottom in gay relationships. They were essentially indifferent to sexual orientation. While they didn’t necessarily punish homosexuality, they did look down on anyone who was the bottom in gay relationships.Įvidence suggests Roman society didn’t even see sexuality as a spectrum like we do today. But they also didn’t exactly admire it altogether either.
The Romans didn’t see being gay as bad or sinful. Gay sex in Ancient Rome was not only easy to come by, it was an accepted part of being a Roman – even in the army.
