Sex Lives of the Roman Emperors

by Nigel Cawthorne

Book Overview

A behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary antics of Roman Emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Domitian, Hadrian, Elagabalus and Constantine gives us an unusual angle on ancient history.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076078311X
• ISBN13: 9780760783115
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: New York: Metro Books, 2006.
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

lurid and trashy and lots of fun

We all know about Caligula and Nero and their sadistic sexploits, but this book has many more of the emperors and lots more of their sexploits. Some of the things described here are shockingly unbelievable. Each chapter is loaded with the most bizarre and decadent goings-on. I had just watched the "I, Claudius" mini-series right before reading this, so I knew a lot of the people discussed herein, but this material is a lot juicier than what I saw on the DVDs. You will not believe what happens to the Emperor Valerian and his wife Mariniana (p. 203) when they are captured by Shapur I. I had to keep rereading that passage to see if I was really reading what I thought I was reading. Incredible. And the details about what happened in the arena during the games is beyond torture-porn. It could give you nightmares thinking about all those poor victims. But then, what goes around comes around, and many of the emperors get a fitting death and ignoble watery grave. Quite often, the author caps things off a particularly shocking anecdote with a snarky bit of sarcasm. My only complaint is that there is a lot of Latin that is not translated, and I'm sure some of it is more witty sarcasm that would benefit from translation. There is tiny bit of British slang that might not be familiar to Americans, but it's pretty easy to figure out. If you thought history was boring in school, you can just read this and wish that your teacher had used this book as the required text. Not the least bit boring!

Sexual Practices Through Roman History (Eye-Opening)

Quite an encapsulating eye-opener to not only the sexual practices, but the blood-thirsty violence of an age of Roman emperors, who experienced little respect for human life, and exhibited little morality as we know it, on any level. With an engaging voice, and some tongue-in-cheek humor, Mr. Cawthorne takes us quickly from Augustus to Justinian with numerous jaw-dropping snapshots of debased history. Separating much of the sex and violence, and skimming quickly over politics, war, and daily life, "Sex Lives of the Roman Emperors" is an interesting read which makes one curious to inquire further into the more broadly-focused biographies and histories of the Roman Empire. Obviously, there has to be more to these rulers than what is colorfully portrayed in Mr. Cawthorne's book. One would hope. At the end of the book is a "Selected Bibliography," as well as a chronological list of the Roman emperors which would help in further inquiry. I found this book to be an interesting and rather surprising read, much like the curiosity when voyeurs stop at the scene of a terrible accident, and a bit different from the usual nonfiction book. If you squick at reading about the practices of insane rulers, debased sex, and bloody violence, probably not the read for you. Sex Lives of the Roman Emperors