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Aphrodisia
Women, Sex and Pleasure in the Classical World
Brief Description
Was Ovid a surprising champion of women's sexual pleasure? Or did he just want them to fake it? Where did the British Museum curators hide the most pornographic of frescoes? And what exactly was the phallic wooden object excavated in the 90's Northumberland? In Aphrodisia, Dr...
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Aphrodisia
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A lively history of women's sex, desire and pleasure in the classical world
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Description
Was Ovid a surprising champion of women's sexual pleasure? Or did he just want them to fake it? Where did the British Museum curators hide the most pornographic of frescoes? And what exactly was the phallic wooden object excavated in the 90's Northumberland?
In Aphrodisia, Dr Jean Menzies dives into the hidden history of women's sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome. The classical world stretched across the Mediterranean for more than a millennium, with its people and cultures wide and varied, and its sexual proclivities equally so.
Yet so often when we read about sex in antiquity, it focuses predominantly on the men: which brothels they were visiting, how they balanced wives and lovers, and what they got up to in the gymnasium. Delving into the literature, art, and artefacts of the ancient world, from sex toys to seduction tips to kink, Dr Jean Menzies instead centres women and their desire.
In doing so, she uncovers the many faces of women's sexuality over the course of thousands of years, and poses intriguing and sometimes provocative questions about women, sex, and desire today.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781800963214
Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 07 May 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Monoray
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 240
About the Author
Dr Jean Menzies is an author and presenter. In 2020 she won the BAMB Breakthrough Author award for her first book, Greek Myths: Meet the heroes, gods, and monsters of ancient Greece and she is also the author of adult fantasy novel, The Flames of Albiyon, published in 2021. She has a PhD in ancient history with a specialism in the history of women in Classical Greece. She also produces the podcast That's Ancient History.
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