logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
20m 47s

LGBTQ Emperors of Ancient Rome

Lindsay Holiday
About this episode
In Ancient Greece and the Roman empire homosexual relationships were an accepted and common practice. In this hyper-masculine society the male form was revered for its physical perfection while women’s virtue was jealously guarded to ensure the legitimacy of children. In Greece romantic and sometimes sexual relationships between older and younger men was see ... Show More
Up next
Sep 22
Anne, Queen of Great Britain & Ireland
Queen Anne was the younger sister of Mary II, half of England’s only joint monarchy, William and Mary. When they died, Anne had no interest in sharing the throne with her husband. She was the first married Queen of England to rule on her own. Anne was a strong political player an ... Show More
30m 19s
Sep 17
Bonus! Spilling the Tea (on Tea), with You’re Dead To Me!
This week, we're bringing you a special teaser of You're Dead To Me, the BBC's hit comedy podcast that takes history seriously – on a topic close to our hearts, Tea! In this episode, host Greg Jenner is joined by historian Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Hugh Dennis to trace ... Show More
7m 53s
Sep 15
Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, & Ireland
Queen Mary II was 1/2 of England’s only joint monarchy, and half of a pair of powerful sister Queens. She betrayed her father and took his throne with the support of her Dutch husband, William of Orange. She preferred to take a back seat but ended up doing most of the governing w ... Show More
24m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Homosexuality & Ancient Greece
Frederick the Great, Marie Antoinette and Oscar Wilde. Each of them have talked about, or been talked about in terms of, Ancient Greek ideas of homosexual love. From men taking on young apprentices, to Sappho’s yearning poetry, the Ancient Greek traditions have long been called u ... Show More
47m 59s
Jan 2024
Sex in Ancient Rome
How sexually depraved were the Romans?Whilst they were a civlised, stoic and innovative bunch, they were also a promiscuous bunch with very questionable morals.Joining us today is friend of the show Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women.How did the Rom ... Show More
45m 58s
Feb 2022
Same-Sex Marriages in Renaissance Rome
<p>All this month on the <em>History Hit </em>family of podcasts, we've been marking LGBT+ History Month.&nbsp;To round off the month, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates an extraordinary episode, long denied by scholars.&nbsp;In 1578, a same-sex community that gathered in a ... Show More
48m 21s
Sep 2021
Sex in Ancient Rome
We’ve covered bloody battles, we’ve covered stunning cities, we’ve covered civilisations far away from the ancient Mediterranean. But in some 120 episodes of The Ancients we hadn’t covered one of the most popular topics in the world: sex. That is, until now. In today’s episode, s ... Show More
56m 18s
Jun 2020
The Twisted History of Roman Emperors
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Ottoman Empire, Elagabalus, Earliest gangbang, Sexual deviance, Pedophilia, Cow Vagina.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit ba ... Show More
50m 19s
Jun 2025
Sex Work in Ancient Rome
What did it look like inside a Roman brothel? Who was the sex worker involved in a murder plot to kill an Emperor? And why was the Pope getting sex workers to race chariots?!In this first episode of our brand new limited-series on sex work through history, Kate is joined by Profe ... Show More
43m 8s
Apr 2024
[RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome
This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it ... Show More
2h 10m
Nov 2024
Gladiators' Sex Lives
Who really were the gladiators of Ancient Rome?With them once again hitting the big screens this month, we wanted to take you back a couple of thousand years to find out more about the people who fought and what their lives were really like.What rights in society did they have? H ... Show More
44m 35s
Jun 2024
Incest in Ancient Rome
What's the worst thing you could accuse someone of in Ancient Rome? There are a few strong candidates, but incest is definitely up there.In today's episode, Kate speaks with Roman historian, Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, to find out more about ... Show More
37m 33s