Sex: Vice and Love from Antiquity to Modernity examines the impact that sexual fantasies about the classical world have had on modern Western culture.* Offers a wealth of information on sex in the Greek and Roman world* Correlates the study of classical sexuality with modern Western cultures* Identifies key influential themes in the evolution of erotic discourse from antiquity to modernity* Presents a serious and thought-provoking topic with great accessibility

List of Illustrations ixPreface xiPart I Roman Vice 11 Introduction 32 Naked Bodies 7An Introduction (less than successful) to the Naked Body 7The Naked Body in Greece 14Naked Romans 21The Love of Art and the Art of Love 283 Obscene Texts 34Illustrating the Unspeakable 34Talking Dirty 404 Erotic Rites 48The Myth of the Orgy 48Locating the Erotic in Roman Religion 555 Imperial Biography 65The Private Lives of the Caesars 65Explaining Roman Gossip Culture 79Part II Greek Love 896 Introduction 91What is 'Greek Love'? Scenes from a Courtroom I 927 Greece 97The Loves of Hellas 97The Platonic Vision 998 Rome and the West 109Greece under Rome and Rome under Greece 109Greek Love Burns Briefly, but Brightly 1199 Renaissance and Enlightenment 124Giving Birth in the Beautiful 124The Pursuit of Love 13510 Nineteenth Century and Beyond 143Greek Love Triumphant 143Sapphic Love 149A Mixed Legacy: Greek Love in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries 15911 Epilogue 164Scenes from a Courtroom II 164Notes and Further Reading 166Bibliography 190Index 205