Pompeian fresco showing two men having sex with a woman
Roman citizen could have sex with another man, taking into consideration that he was not a passive partner. Such a citizen in no way lost his masculinity or social status. Most often, a passive person was chosen as a slave, male prostitute or a person from the artistic world who had nothing to lose.
The Romans preferred supposedly young men between the ages of 12 and 20.
It is worth noting that homosexual contacts within a group of soldiers were unwelcome, especially when a higher rank used his authority over a subordinate to use him.
More about intimate life in the world of the Romans
Sources
- Koper Sławomir, Życie prywatne i erotyczne w starożytnej Grecji i Rzymie, Warszawa 1998, s.233.
