Brainstorming
Question: Why is the word “sex” so associated with Rome?
~ Is it because sex is what is on everyones mind all of the time?
~ What is the sex history of Ancient Rome? How has this impacted Rome’s image as a “sex-oriented” country?
”If you could read people’s thoughts as they were passing you on the streets of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought. Whatever that majorty thought might be -that is the word of the city. And if your personal word does not math the word of the city, then you don’t really belong there” (Gilbert 103). Giulio stated that Rome’s word is “sex” and that his was not just a stereotype (Gilbert 103). This leads me to my question, why is the word “sex” so associated with Rome? I discovered that sex is one thing that has been an important part of Rome for quite some time. According to the monks’ writings dating all the way back to Ancient Rome, there was a very unique temple in Veila (Bigeye). The God of the temple was known as “Mutunus Tutunus,” and had been depicted as a penis (Bigeye). On the wedding day, the bride was supposed to sit on the penis image (Bigeye). In the Roman marriage, it was not untypical for a man to sleep with another woma on his wedding night (Bigeye). Roman men were allowed to commit adultry, however, women would be frowned upon if they did this (Bigeye). Also, prostitution in both men and women was a fairly common occurrence (Bigeye). I think that this background information shows that sex has always been a part of Rome, which is why “Rome and sex” go hand in hand.
Works Cited
Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat, pray, love one woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia. New York: Viking, 2006.
“History of Sex: Roman Empire.” The Big Eye – Breaking News – Beginner’s Guide to 911 Truth – Alternative News – Anti-War – Search Portal. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.bigeye.com/sexeducation/romanempire.html>.
