Sexual Morality in Ancient RomeTraditionally, scholars have approached Roman sexuality using categories of sexual ethics drawn from contemporary, Western society. In this 2006 book Dr Langlands seeks to move away from these towards a deeper understanding of the issues that mattered to the Romans themselves, and the ways in which they negotiated them, by focusing on the untranslatable concept of pudicitia (broadly meaning 'sexual virtue'). She offers a series of nuanced close readings of texts from a wide spectrum of Latin literature, including history, oratory, love poetry and Valerius Maximus' work Memorable Deeds and Sayings. Pudicitia emerges as a controversial and unsettled topic, at the heart of Roman debates about the difference between men and women, the relation between mind and body, and the ethics of power and status differentiation within Roman culture. The book develops strategies for approaching the study of an ancient culture through sensitive critical readings of its literary productions. |
Contents
the cults ofpudieitid and honours | 37 |
Traditional narratives and Livys Roman history | 78 |
the complexities of past as paradigm | 123 |
testing the limits ofpudieitid | 192 |
what part of no do you understand? | 247 |
oratory and the speeches of Cicero | 281 |
Imperial narratives imperial interventions | 319 |
Conclusion | 364 |
| 387 | |
| 396 | |
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Common terms and phrases
accusations adultery Alcmene Amphitryo ancient Rome Antony Appius body Bona Dea castitas Chapter Cicero claims Claudius Clodius concept ofpudicitia context corruption crime cult daughter death decemvir Decl declamation deed described discussed emperor etiam exempla exemplum father female figure find first force genres girl goddess Greek husband Icilius imperial inflict influence invective kill libido Livy Livy’s Lucretia lust male man’s marriage married matrona moralising narrative ofpudicitia ofthe one’s Ovid’s passage plebeian political Propertius prostitute pudica pudicitia pudor punishment quae quam Quint quod reader reference reflect relationship rhetorical role Roman culture Roman moral Roman society Sejanus Sextus Tarquinius sexual behaviour sexual ethics sexual intercourse sexual morality shameful significance slave soldier sources specifically speech status story story of Lucretia stuprum Suetonius suggests Tacitus tale Tarquinius theme traditional Valerius Maximus Verginius Verres virgin virtue wife wife’s woman women