| Edition |
1st U.S. ed. |
| Description |
xviii, 302 pages : illustrations, maps ; 18 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 282-288) and index. |
| Summary |
"In her previous books, Vicki León put readers in the sandals of latter-day working stilffs, ranging from funeral clowns to armpit pluckers and untangled the twisted threads of superstition and science in antiquity. Now, in this book of astonishing true tales of love and sex in long-ago Greece, Rome, and other cultures around the Mediterranean, she opens the doors to shadowy rooms and parts the curtains of decorum. León goes far beyond what we think we know about sex in ancient times, taking readers on a randy tour of aphrodisiacs and anti-aphrodisiacs, contraception, nymphomania, bisexuality, cross-dressing, and gender-bending. She explains citizens' fear of hermaphrodites, investigates the stinging price paid for adultery despite the ease of divorce, introduces readers to the surprising array of saucy pornographers, and even describes the eco-friendly dildos used by libidinous ancients. Love also gets its due, with true tales of the lifelong bonds between military men, history's first cougar and her devoted relationship with Julius Caesar, and the deification of lovers."--Page 4 of cover. |
| Contents |
Section 1. The birds, the bees, & the body parts -- Section 2. Sexual pioneers around the Mediterranean -- Section 3. Legendary loves & sometimes-real romances -- Section 4. Love hurts. But changing gender really smarts -- Section 5. Red-letter days & red-hot nights -- Section 6. Love is a many-splendored thing -- Section 7. For the love of it: pure passions -- Section 8. Demon lovers & gods dark & light -- Section 9. Love dilemmas & lust at the crossroads. |
| Subject |
Sex customs -- Greece -- History -- To 1500.
|
|
Sex customs -- Rome -- History.
|
|
Sex customs. (OCoLC)fst01114306
|
|
Greece. (OCoLC)fst01208380
|
|
Rome (Empire) (OCoLC)fst01204885
|
| Chronological Term |
To 1500
|
| Genre/Form |
History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
|
| Added Title |
Lust, love, & longing in the ancient world |
| ISBN |
9780802719973 |
|
080271997X |
|
