In Bed with the ...

One way or another the Romans spent quite a lot of time in bed, in between conquering and civilising the known world. The men were intent on demonstrating their power and virility; the women were busy conceiving, delivering and raising as many children as possible, in order to keep Rome topped up with soldiers, politicians and workers. In Bed with the Romans takes the clothes off Roman society to reveal the truth about sex and sexuality. It describes love and marriage; the role of the wife in the family and in religion, as well as in bed; and sexual medicine, homosexuality, pornography and pederasty. All manner of sexual behaviour is covered in this comprehensive and balanced discussion of the Roman relationship with sex. Paul Chrystal vividly describes the sexual predilections and debauchery of the Roman emperors and their empresses and mistresses, and draws his conclusions from literature, ancient graffiti, inscriptions and the visual arts that form the bedrock of this book.

In modern-day media, depictions of ancient Egyptian society are of a highly sexualised, lustful culture, but how accurate are these depictions of a people so shrouded in mystery and legend that it is sometimes hard to tell truth from fiction? In this fascinating and intimate insight into ancient Egyptian sex and sexuality, Charlotte Booth demystifies an ancient way of life, drawing on archaeological evidence and the written record to build a picture of what really went on in the bedrooms of the pharaohs and their subjects. Sex was a prominent part of ancient Egyptian society. It featured heavily in religion, mythology and artwork, and was not considered the taboo it is sometimes treated as in modern cultures. This book examines all aspects of ancient Egyptian sex lives, from idealised beauty and attitudes towards sexuality, to representations of fertility in art and the relationship between sex and religion. Many of the trials and tribulations that were faced are as relevant today as they were in the past: marriage, divorce and adultery are all discussed, as well as prostitution, homosexuality, sexual health and fertility. Whilst many of the remedies seem bizarre to the modern mind, some of the attitudes are surprisingly liberal, and all make for fascinating reading. From Akhenaten and his famously beautiful queen, Nefertiti, to the seductive Cleopatra's affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, Booth provides a tantilising glimpse into this extremely personal aspect of ancient Egyptian life.

From what the Ancient Greeks might have talked about in bed to women's health and the intricacies of Greek marriage, Paul Chrystal shines a much-needed light on sex and sexuality in ancient Greece, one of the world's most influential civilizations.This is a balanced, comprehensive and well-researched analysis of the many aspects of sexual desire and activity in the various Greek societies – from the Minoan civilisation, Athens and the other city states, to Sparta and Hellenistic Greece.It examines attitudes to, and the practice of, sex in Greek mythology, literature and real life; in love, marriage, and adultery; in religion and philosophy; in the visual arts; of sexual medicine and erotic magic; and the vocabulary of sex. A wealth of primary sources are called upon to provide evidence of the antics of the ancient Greeks.