Uncovering Sex Lives of the Romans | With Honor Cargill-Martin

From popular TV series to kinky paintings, there is a recurring image today of Romans as lust-filled, mad degenerates. But the reality is a lot more...complicated.
Join Tristan Hughes and historian Honor Cargill-Martin as they explore the sex lives of ancient Romans living c.2,000 years ago - Emperors, statesmen, freedmen, slaves and more. Sorting fact from fiction, they explore why erotic imagery could be found all across the Roman Empire, acceptable vs deplorable marriage partners and just why gladiators became such sex symbols.
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[@HistoryHit]

We hope you enjoyed this video! This was a re-upload as our last version was flagged for adult content 🙄 - a raunchy little mosaic never killed nobody!

[@darylmckay]

Whew, I thought I was suffering from deja vu...

[@jan-willemwijnbergen9586]

Almost every picture is blurred? Bizar...

[@RabbitInAHumanWoild]

Is Britain still in the Victorian era? If you make a film about sex and then blur it all out, you insult your audience. We are adults in the 21st century after all.

[@darylmckay]

@@jan-willemwijnbergen9586 agreed. KZbin is an arse (albeit a blurred one) at times...

[@user-oi9to7ux7k]

This channel constantly trying to get clicks chasing a sensationalist angle. Sad.

[@she42069]

Bizarre that we're at the point where we're having to censor and blur art that can be found in MUSEUMS. Feels like we're going backwards.

[@juliemay5117]

It is odd because the erotic images at Pompeii are shown in many other documentaries...wonder why this one is different.

[@juliemay5117]

It is odd because the erotic images at Pompeii are shown in many other documentaries...wonder why this one is different.

[@juliemay5117]

It is odd because the erotic images at Pompeii are shown in many other documentaries...wonder why this one is different.

[@juliemay5117]

It is odd because the erotic images at Pompeii are shown in many other documentaries...wonder why this one is different.

[@bostonteapartycrasher]

We ARE going backwards. We are in the midst of an irrational climate of moral panic and mass hysteria deliberately brought upon and perpetuated by the lies of the institutions profit from claiming to fight the problem they created. We are living in a sexual dark age masquerading as enlightenment.

[@user-ec8zd8zp4x]

2000 years of civilization and we're not allowed to see art on modern media... What a progress have we made!

[@sayuas4293]

Because youtube is based in the US

[@DivingDog0]

They used to outright deface artwork by chiselling off phalluses or drilling marble fig leaves into the works. We've come a long way.

[@winklenator]

For anyone commenting about the blurred images, just remember that they’re posting on KZbin where people can report any kind of nudity, including historical art.

[@hollieBlu303]

Yeah .I remember them doing this at my school. I was studying art. They had to be somewhat less heavy-handed after our teachers found out they had outright BANNED all the art websites that were available to us in the mid-2000s. It's a joke

[@bentucker2301]

Its KZbin doing that not people

[@Otto72ish]

Yank cultural imperialism, as ever.

[@hollieBlu303]

@@Otto72ish lol

[@NixHarpinger]

I can keep that in mind all I want, it doesn't make it any less ridiculous. Why don't they just put underwear on the statue of David and be done with it?

[@Yandarval]

Dont blame HH for the cencored images. Blame YT and its American prudishness.

[@togrutabb1032]

As an American, I approve this message lol

[@KasumiRINA]

Why? These mosaics and statues are shown in other videos without getting blurred, you even have them in Assassin's Creed and usually those don't even lead to demonetized videos. This topic itself would be adult on its own pictures or not so they're just trying to play the victim here. That said, fuck American prudes.

[@user-on6hk7oz8x]

@@togrutabb1032 As an American, you could be more specific and blame it on the forever offended, prudish woke more than anyone else. Do you think YT is upholding the values of the religious prud?

[@ray.shoesmith]

​@@user-on6hk7oz8xFrom the rest of the world, you're all the same.

[@kelseybowman5463]

Hey now, let’s lay the American prudishness at the feet of those it belongs to… *cough* boomers *cough cough* LOL, jk, mostly…. And yes it is ridiculous that lots of YT content has to be censored because of ignorant people flagging historical/educational content as if it were a video on an adult website, (don’t know if I’m allowed to say p*rn) disregarding its context and educational value.

[@verynotreally]

Good video, but why the constant droning music? It's very distracting once you notice it.

[@flowermeerkat6827]

Yes the background music is hideous. It's too loud and incredibly distracting.

[@wwerrent8079]

I hadn’t noticed it until I read this post… Thanks 😂

[@southeastcoastalphotography]

You know what more annoying than the background music? These comment complaining about the music on every single documentary on KZbin. I can’t speak to why History Hit does it because their content is either made by them or the pay for the right to show it. Most of the smaller channels that have good and hard to find documentaries sometimes add the music so that they can get around paying royalties, keep under the radar of automated copyright checks and it lets them be able to keep bootlegging the documentaries we all enjoy. The music is really a minor issue compared to the super bootlegged videos where they change the pitch or speed of the speech or the absolute worst when the put a stupid background image like a old time widows screensaver then put the video you want to see in Picture in Picture window about 1/4 the size of your screen.

[@davidcoxinparis]

@@southeastcoastalphotography So you're complaining about complaints?

[@southeastcoastalphotography]

@@davidcoxinparis hahaha yes

[@michaelasiimwe4440]

Great video. The historian was very informative. She shed a light on the interesting dynamics of roman sexual dynamics. 10/10!

[@bike6626]

It would have been nice to hear what the program had to say without the background music.

[@seththomas6350]

Peak comedy; egg plant emoji in 2024 🤝 Ancient Roman art. Humans ain’t changed a bit 😂

[@shinypeter7]

The background sound ruins this vid.

[@markn1616]

Turned off after 5 mins. Fuzzy images. I'm not 6.

[@Raz.C]

re - 20:04 She accidentally says "... runs away with a senator," rather than "... with a gladiator," which is what she meant to say.

[@courtneyriley185]

The blurred out art 😂

[@xdasdaasdasd4787]

Such a waste :(

[@M139NG]

What the hell is the point of that? Are we so scared of sex and or the human body that we can't even show old art during an educational program?? We are going backwards in so many ways

[@bentucker2301]

Blame America

[@bostonteapartycrasher]

@@M139NG This is to be expected when feminists are positioned in society as the only and absolute expert authority in matters concerning sexual morality.

[@wwisaacson4807]

A penis is fine to view but breasts are not. So ridiculous.

[@peachgo3]

Thank you for such a concise video! I'm glad you pointed out how askew the perspective on this topic is in people's heads, popular media etc. I'm currently writing a paper on Roman gender roles/sexuality surrounding Nero and Boudicca -- it is fascinating but it's also giving me a headache 💀😂

[@julianjazz7296]

Why the freck are the fresco painting censored?

[@scottabc72]

KZbin algorithm

[@Remigrator]

Jesus Christ, why would you play the same two second audio clip over and over for half an hour? Super annoying.

[@courtneystewart8006]

This was such a fun history lesson. As a soon to be sex therapist, I always love these videos! The cultural norms make so much sense giving the values of the time and it is so fun to see how different the taboos can be in two patriarchal societies, theirs and our own. I really appreciate your painting of adolescent male sexuality as predatory because we usually see them used as examples of acceptability that we can adopt today. Unfortunately, these young men probably did not possess the agency to consent given their position, let alone their age. Fascinating.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"I wish I could hold to my neck and embrace the little arms, and bear kisses on the tender lips. Go on, doll, and trust your joys to the winds; believe me, light is the nature of men." -- A graffito from Pompeii

[@bratis99]

Unbelievably Censored...

[@Xagzan]

🎵"Let's talk about sex baby, let's talk about te et me"🎵

[@Raz.C]

In the case of the Romans, I don't think this streak of inequality had anything to do with hatred. I think it was more a case of fear; fear of raising another man's child, tricked into believing it was your own. I guess men who want children are highly motivated to ensure that they leave an inheritance for offspring that actually sprang from their off?

[@eric2500]

thumbs up from "sprang from their off"!

[@eric2500]

Mama's baby. Papa's? Maybe. blame Mother Nature, it is her rule.

[@Raz.C]

@@eric2500 Cheers, mate. I always try to make anything I write fun for the reader to read. It doesn't always work, but I'm glad to hear that this one landed.

[@Raz.C]

@@eric2500 I'm more interested in the 'How' and 'Why' behind people and what they do. I don't care much about assigning blame.

[@KheKheGanja]

​@@Raz.Cit def did it I read the whole statement with a straight comphrending face till I came to that sentence then I had a touche face😂

[@jmhatyoutube6283]

I’m not sure I can make through the second half of this video. The same musical phrase being repeated over and over and over is just driving me crazy. Maybe it changes eventually but I’m done.

[@smarcis2]

The blurring is ridiculous.

[@meelertac]

What's the point when everything is blurred out?

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage video about sex in Roman empire societies

[@maisondusuave]

I had to turn this off...the music is very distracting and annoying

[@MrJimmyGiblets]

Gave up after 8 minutes of what could have been a very interesting programme. How can I listen to the experts talking about stuff only to see that over the half the images they are talking about have been frosted out?

[@janetpendlebury6808]

Blame youtube, which is run by American's, for being prudish.

[@jameshirst3105]

Honor Cargill-Martin is a complete smoke show!

[@humanharddrive1]

"absolutely outrageous sex scenes" - shows blurred image. what is the point? I want to see it!

[@54mgtf22]

Enjoyed it just as much as the first time 😂😂

[@nancytoothaker3224]

At first I thought it was just me but as it went on I realized I'd seen the same content pretty recently. I don't recall if it was this same channel, just under a different title, or somewhere else.

[@plastikmaiden]

Boy this comment section... some of you get real weird around sex. 🙄

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks for posting

[@johnslaughter5475]

Very interesting. One complaint - if a picture is going to be blurred out, don't include it in the video.

[@darylmckay]

it's a re-upload due to KZbin restrictions. The original video was not blurred.

[@georgeg331]

How ridiculous to blur millennia-old art not only for KZbin - but on your SUBSCRIPTION BASED website as well ??? In a historical documentary about sex ... FFS

[@rolandscales9380]

22.30 You've glossed over the Cena Trimalchionis on the one hand (I don't think Petronius was a Christian, and he had to be satirising something that existed, after all) and also the events concerning the Empress Messalina's downfall.

[@lynnedelacy2841]

As I understood it ( and it is probably just a story !) the blue eye as the evil eye stemmed from the Crusades. ( although the eye of Osiris was common throughout the Mediterranean for thousands of years ) At one point the Muslims were losing and they looked for a reason and what they saw as a key point of difference was the blue eyes of the Northern Europeans and they thought they were casting evil through these eyes and so in an effort to deflect / reflect this bad luck they carried their own versions of the blue eye

[@higoryamada1625]

So nice to see the time span up to 1453 AD and not 476 AD.

[@ricardov323]

i love history hit, but why is the art being censored.... its ridiculous... -10 stars

[@KasumiRINA]

7:42 why the F would you film and edit in a panning shot of artwork only to blur it so much you can't see what it is? XD

[@willyvonbusche729]

Blame KZbin. Not him. KZbin is full of shit.

[@tubecrazytube]

Very interesting doc. However, after the fifth segment with blurred images I quit watching. I thought that nudity in art was allowed on this platform. So, why not show us those historical fresco’s? Without them the meaning of the subject is not that strong and it really annoys me we’ve come to this ridiculous censorship. Maybe I’ll watch later when I’m less irritated.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

If it was being shown on tv anywhere other than America it would not be blurred out, but KZbin follows American prudery.

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

About 20:56 _To marry one_ [actress] _was forbidden._ This rule seems to have relaxed in Christian times of all Roman times since 6th century throne attendant Justinian did it.

[@lesliehart]

shame about the censorship

[@ivy_1990]

I expected some interesting content but this was shocking 😏. Some of it kinda creepy. Ultimately, appreciated but surprised. Some crazy s**t. Lol thanks for making an honest and bold documentary 🙌

[@justinflaherty4687]

Thank you for not asking us to "SMASH" the like button. 😂

[@ColdTakes585]

What I would not give to make Honor a nice dinner and talk some history 😮‍💨😭😂

[@charlotteillustration5778]

I read somewhere that Julius Caesar was called “every woman’s husband and every man’s wife “ - is that a true source?

[@riccardoalcaro8483]

It’s true that that was said of him. It was a form of political attack, and quite an effective one. How much truth there was in it, it’s hard to say. Sources do tell stories of Caesar as a womanizer though

[@NestorMakhno1789]

Caesar had at least one confirmed male lover so who knows? Maybe.

[@enkilm]

Yes it is, according to Suetonius.

[@vicjay1972]

I wouldn’t mind it if Honor Cargilll-Martin gave me some private tutorials on the intricacies of this area of her expertise. She is very lovely. What a smile.

[@Odonanmarg]

At 9 minutes or so, I gave up watching and gave the video a “thumbs down” rating. Why would you blur out the pictures of things central to your message ? Why have a video at all ?

[@oskareriksson3835]

Because the original video without the blur was flagged for adult content.

[@Odonanmarg]

@@oskareriksson3835 {Ahh, KZbin/Google.

[@spinkey4842]

man, i'm happy these fine folk gave the world such a popular religion

[@golden_smaug]

This video was so fun to watch as well as interesting lol

[@shock_n_Aweful]

I studied Greco-Roman sexuality as part of my degree and one of the important things they are not explaining is the root of how they viewed sex and why Gladiators/Actors were infame. In the ancient world physical ability was far more important than it is now, you cannot defend a city with nerds and sissies, so naturally they valued men capable of fighting above all. This naturally leads to highly patriarchal society and doing anything that was associated with females instead of hyper masculinity was looked down on. This is why it was ok to have homosexual relationships but only if you were the poker and not the pokee. In their point of view, allowing yourself to be treated like a woman meant that you had no self respect and could not be expected to have the self respect or integrity it took to be a protector. Performing for others, as an actor or a gladiator was still performing for others, a form of prostituting yourself for the enjoyment of others.

[@sahibjaan1832]

Nice Sharing infmatic vedio

[@phillipseiver1163]

Why Blair the imagery? Can you get rid of that redundant background music otherwise it's a great show

[@angeloargentieri5605]

Roma, il più grandioso e glorioso Impero della storia; Roma ha conquistato, dominato, costruito e CIVILIZZATO; la grandezza, la potenza, la magnificenza e la GLORIA DI ROMA EST AETERNA, ROMA INVICTA ET LUX MUNDI 💪💯

[@silverleafmaple]

Around 6:41 the music killed me 😅

[@johndee2077]

Please lose the annoying background ‘music’!!

[@jazzeejax5816]

That was definitely a bold choice

[@ellienavarro4230]

What is the point of watching this video with blurred images? I'm giving up

[@oneshotme]

I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@debbielondon1809]

Why the term sex worker rather than prostitute? I'm really not sure about the "cleaning up" of language, and who is meant to be liberated by it?

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Can't speak for HH channel? But often it's a difference in category. Prostitutes are usually just fulltime professionals who have paid sex with people. Whereas sex work can include 'exotic dancing' (with or without additional sex), sensual massage (ditto), full-on whoring, geisha/hetairai (more intellectual services plus sex) and people who choose to or are pressured into providing paid sex even though it's not their job (actors, laundry workers, underpaid craft workers, etc etc).

[@npc-np7dc]

Oh great, another nice historian lady to fall in love with...

[@alfonsocarlossoler5371]

nice intro

[@vickywitton1008]

Why are breasts blurred out? Who is offended by breasts? If you are watching this video then you are not going to be a puritanical person!

[@eric2500]

The algorithm is offended, and it is not a person.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

Blame KZbin, which is American owned.

[@v.5442]

@@janetpendlebury6808 "American". If I say who actually owns it, my acc would get yeeted.

[@hugosophy]

Damn even the kitschy Victorian artwork got censored.

[@SmokeyTreats]

Surprised you didn't mention Caligula, or do you believe the movie Caligula uncut 1979 is fake news? Thanks for your vid!

[@werpu12]

Thats a general question, the historical information is very thin because there are not that many sources, and often written by opponents who took a lot of freedom, in the end we do not know whether the excesses of caligula or nero are true (or el gabal for instance)! The perfect example for this is. in newer times is Marie Antoinette who had a lot of sexual excesses written onto her by her enemies during her lifetime, but none of those were true, thankfully our historical records for this era are way more precise so we have the full picture there. Now think if the same would have happened to her but we only had 2-3 historical resources on her and then even worse written by her enemies who drove an agenda of setting her into the worst light possible, we would have a completely different picture of her. So I guess, possible yes, did it happen, maybe some of it, but we will never know, in case of Nero and Caligula!

[@SmokeyTreats]

@@werpu12 Thanks for your reply!

[@svt80221]

i'm watching this pretending i have sex regularly and can relate.

[@RosDalton]

Delightful hearing Mrs. Cargil-Martin’s informative statements but the frequent interjection of ‘kind of’ and ‘sort of’ in some of her segments is something the editor should probably have asked for additional takes to avoid using.

[@Peter-oh3pm]

6:26 In Pompeii. That is not a lie, it is true. It points strait to a brothel.

[@brondavis1601]

Gorge and gauge should not get mixed up

[@katherinecollins4685]

This was interesting

[@John_Pace]

Like today, the Romans loved stories of scandal, especially in the imperial family.

[@Magneticvortex-kk4gb]

The background music has to go.

[@VitaKet]

Really... you blurred nipples out of a painting? You know that is not necessary right? Educational content is allowed.

[@JewelOfSoul]

There's a pinned comment up there that says: We hope you enjoyed this video! This was a re-upload as our last version was flagged for adult content - a raunchy little mosaic never killed nobody!

[@peterbedford2610]

What about Biggus Dickus?

[@tahsinaaron5563]

This is a particular subject, each & every single soul is fascinated & filled with. If anyone is denying or saying, “I don’t like or enjoy it” is a lying. Species are given the need & natural compassionate about it. And interestingly, Religion also permits it. Now, Where is boundary line? Boundary line is when this personal level feeling started commercialised in any form as Prostitu*ion or P*rn or or any term this emotional feeling is sold out by money or any conditional interest for other than own self, then its a RED LINE. Another term that’s mainly related to this video content is nationalisaion by authority. For example, Municipality of Lust or City corporation of Foreplay, These sort of terms were used in ancient days, Where Lust was provoked by authority or Municipality. These concept make RED LINE. As mentioned, a personal level feeling has to be personal and private, its the basic rule. “Its like a butterfly wing, Once touched, It never get off the ground “ Any government or local government interference on those sort of private issue would lead onto a unstable and perilous environment, The Romans or Ancient days had similar problems. These 2 issues mainly affect sexual (commercial) gross manipulation and as a result, Total society gets collective consequences, We see from history.

[@kelseybowman5463]

*religion permits it in one context (assuming we’re talking about Christianity)- within the marital bed. There are absolutely videos about sex work industries that contain legitimate educational value rather than just gratuitous material. Those videos should absolutely be allowed to be viewed uncensored. It’s not like YT is famous for its adult content, there are many other websites for that.

[@Mickferndalespeedy]

What age group is this targeting?

[@stephanlehner1533]

Adultery with Honor

[@grouchomarxist5612]

I see what you did there.

[@rolandscherer1574]

US-Americans are terribly prudish. If the Louvre were to make some of its paintings available for an exhibition in the USA, it would first have to paste them over. Here it is so bad that most of the pictures had to be made completely unrecognisable, they could just as well not have been shown, there would have been no loss of information. Two versions should be made: one pixelated for Americans and one unpixelated for normal people. "Land of the Free"

[@voodooranger1]

Blurring out classic artworks is stupid History Hit.

[@NotMyName888]

That's probably because of KZbin - it's an American platform.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

It is not History Hit, it is KZbin, American prudity.

[@aolcom-nl9qb]

I think it was not a crime if you stayed in your lane ,but for women I believe secret affairs were common with people of lesser status.

[@stumccabe]

Blurred out images - ridiculous- what's the point?

[@dylangraf7626]

What’s with Hot British chicks being obsessed with history, I love it.

[@chrislakkas3962]

The Universe wants to give you everything.

[@AlunParsons]

Not northern Britain, mate. northern Britain would be Caledonia (Scotland), and the Romans never controlled that. No wonder foreigners get confused between the different parts of Britain when English people don't know the differences.

[@enkilm]

The word Orgy in Rome means religious ceremonies not having anything to do with sex just a a serious religious ceremony,it was the christans that gave the term “ orgy” its purient reputation.

[@ViktorAndy]

Nicest history episode ever. Too bad its not 69 minutes long.

[@NotMyName888]

Interesting video. Some feedback - lose the ever-looping background music and the moral commentary, e.g. "horrifyingly, ..."

[@chrissmith5148]

OK I might be behind in the times but are "Threesomes and Foursomes" acceptable now?

[@eric2500]

A symbol of protection? Sure. That's what all the 8 year olds doodling on desks say!

[@jackpur]

To Northern Britain? Less than 2 mins in, hmmmm

[@thomastaylor5239]

I’d like to listen to her talk about this subject more.

[@BumboRasKlat79]

The term "illegitimate children" baffles me. I know what it means, but if a child is born living, he/she has a legitimate Right to be ALIVE. Id say the parents are illegitimate, not the child. Disgraceful how that standard still exists in the 21st Century.

[@dewbiedewdew]

Given the horde of single moms it should make a come back.

[@BumboRasKlat79]

@@dewbiedewdew well now, I think Men should have more self control, and not make babies they cant take care of, or be responsible for. It takes 2 to tango. You're a part of the problem, not the solution @$$hole.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

Illegitimate means born of parents not lawfully married to each other. Legitimate means conforming to the law or to rules.

[@tadjani5191]

@@janetpendlebury6808 Then call the parents illegitimate. The child had NOTHING to do with it!

[@kelseybowman5463]

Come on people. Why are we flagging videos like this that are composed of legitimate historical educational content? Context is everything, this isn’t a video that is going to corrupt your children. (FYI, promise you your teenagers aren’t coming to YT for adult content, there are plenty of other websites for that 😂) it would be great if we could distinguish between legitimate historical informational videos, and those that are gratuitous and composed of content with no real educational purpose.

[@adelheidsnel5171]

You lost me at the blurring of the imagery. Bye folks, ridiculous

[@janetpendlebury6808]

It is KZbin that does that, thank the American's for being so prudish.

[@TheEvertw]

So, as with most people's sex lives, Roman sex was not as spectacular as purported.

[@jerryware1970]

Augustus arrested his daughter for adultery.

[@stefcas]

Blurred art?! Covering what the Lord created, in the name of the Lord? As such claiming the Lord made a mistake creating indecent bodypart? So intelligent! Puritanism is the mistake.

[@riaanshaigh1338]

50 shades of frescos..

[@78thandSynth]

She was the hot pick for the thumbnail? You sure?

[@Tiberiotertio]

Sorry stupid blurring of classical art, not watching any further. This is BS

[@ypey1]

if i had only half such a smile...