Given this cultural norm, the worst insult you could hurl at a Roman man was to accuse him of cunnum lingere, or as we know it today, cunnilingus. According to Roman sexual norms, an “active” man should have the desire to penetrate whether that desire was for women, men or boys was totally irrelevant. Being active was related to masculinity and, therefore, implying that a man held a passive role in a sexual act was considered the greatest offense. Instead of seeing sexuality in terms of heterosexual or homosexual, as is common today, the Romans viewed sex as either an active or passive act. That’s right, the Romans were no strangers to swearing, although they swore slightly differently to how we do today the words thought of as most offensive in ancient Rome were the result of a unique take on sex and gender. As you’re taking in the ancient Roman architecture and basking in the history of the place, you suddenly encounter some seriously obscene graffiti. Imagine you’re strolling through the column-lined walkways of Pompeii, Italy, a city preserved just as it was nearly 2,000 years ago.
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