Love, marriage and sexuality: aids and handbooks

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Salvete omnes,
I'm in my first Bachelor-year at Ghent University, studying history. For a course ("Historical practice, antiquity"), we have to work with sources within the theme "Love, marriage and sexuality in Classical Antiquity". The meaning of this course is to have us do a tiny-scale historical (scientific) research. The aspect of this theme for our group, is "aids and handbooks" (aids as in things that "help", if you know what I mean, and no, I don't know whether or not our professor is twisted).
We have a book with a lot of sources concerning the global theme. There are only a few about our 'aids and handbooks', and it is encouraged by the professor to find more sources elsewhere.

Do you know about any sources (translated if possible) which are/speak of aids/handbooks? We have to do our presentation in two weeks (we're the second group), so we don't have much time. I'd be very grateful if you could help.

PS: I'm only looking for sources, not for secondary literature.

[Epictetus]

Try Ovid's The Art of Love. It is indeed exactly what you are looking for - a handbook - but Ovid's great skill as a writer has led many people to wonder over the years if he was writing satire or allegory as well.

It gives advice to men on how to seduce and retain a lover, and then he gives advice to women on how to do the same thing.

He is much more "proper" in his choice of words than Horace or Juvenal, so you have to be attentive to notice when he is talking about sexual acts. Then some translators have been leery of saying anything too clearly.

For instance:

With [women] pleasure comes naturally, without provocation, the pleasure which is sweeter than all, the pleasure which is shared equally by the man and the woman. I hate those embraces in which both do not consummate; that is why boys please me but little.

If you think about what a man and woman can do simultaneously during the act of lovemaking you get an idea of what he is talking about here. :wink:

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

I know the Ars Amatoria, but thanks anyway. Do you know of other sources? Not necessarily handbooks themselves, but for example even theatre plays or indeed, writings by Juvenal and others, who speak about handbooks or aids?

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Very interesting subject !

However, please remember from now on that it is not aids, but:

aides

M.VIB.M.

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Is it? I thought this was only in American English..?

[M. Demetrius]

AID is assistant or assistance, such as a work glove is an aid to prevent hand injury, or the act of quick remedy for an injury (First Aid). There are other aids in immediate context of the subject here, naturally.

AIDE is a hired human assistant, such as the staff of a governmental official. These people evidently are sometimes involved in the subject at hand.

AIDS is a disease of the immune system. There is sometimes a connection with this context, particularly in the improper use of aides.

OK, I could get in a lot of trouble with this...nuff said.

So there ya go. American English has its own set of quirks and oddities.

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

AID is assistant or assistance, such as a work glove is an aid to prevent hand injury, or the act of quick remedy for an injury (First Aid). There are other aids in immediate context of the subject here, naturally.

AIDE is a hired human assistant, such as the staff of a governmental official. These people evidently are sometimes involved in the subject at hand.

AIDS is a disease of the immune system. There is sometimes a connection with this context, particularly in the improper use of aides.

OK, I could get in a lot of trouble with this...nuff said.

So there ya go. American English has its own set of quirks and oddities.

That's what's it about. Not very polite, but to clear things up, we're talking about dildo's (Aristophanes in Lysistrata, Herodas in his Mimes), maybe even forms of contraception, but also visual erotica (on certain height) etc etc. In addition to handbooks.:-)

[agrimensor]

Sander, i visited the Rijksmuseum voor oudheden in Leiden last year, and they ha some subjects on homosexuality.
Vale

[Memmia]

Hi there,

Dioscoredes has various supposed contraceptions and abortants listed in his 'De Materia Medica'. I think there's a few aphrodisiacs in there too.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I think, but I could be wrong, that the BM in London has a whole archive of these artifacts from ancient Roman times....not a book but still the ymay have an online catelog or something?

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Hi all,
Thanks for the suggestions. We now have a more specific theme: make-up for women in the Roman Empire, in the first century BC and first century AD. Ovid speaks about this of course, Propertius says there is no need for it, but I can imagine there must be much more sources speaking about this. Ideas? Or where can I (online) find more sources?

Thanks in advance!

[Lanata]

Trickier, if anything, than your broader topic! You're probably familiar with the idea that women have much less of a "voice" in the literature that men due to their differing standing in social and intellectual circles, for the most part. With the overwhelming number of writers and commentators being male, there won't be masses in the original sources that deal with something so "mundane" as make-up. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head apart from Ovid - but I'll have a scan through my books and get back to you. All I can suggest in the mean time is Lefkowitz & Fant's "Women's Life in Greece and Rome" which is a source book of original sources in translation relating to all things womanly, which may include make-up.

ETA: I've found a reference in one of my papers on Roman prostitution to a book that solely covers makeup and perfume; it's Susan Stewart's "Cosmetics and Perfumes in the Roman World" (2007). Should be plenty in there for you!

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Hi Lindsay,
Thanks! :!: Sounds very useful. I'll take a look whether or not the university has a copy.

[Memmia]

Hi,

I second Lindsay's suggestion of Susan Stewart's book, it's an excellent resource for this. Sally Pointer in her book 'The Artifice of Beauty' discusses classical cosmetics at length too.
Funnily enough, I am also in the process of writing a book on ancient medicine which covers cosmetics and perfumes as part of this (as cosmetics and perfumes were also viewed as having medicinal properties) my emphasis will be strongly on the chemical, pharmaceutical and toxicological side of things and how modern medicine is also exploring some of these properties today, but the classical sensibilities regarding healthcare and beauty will be taken into account somewhat too.(I'm a qualified analytical chemist as well as also studying for my degree in classical studies and history at the moment).
I have reconstructed many ancient cosmetics and perfumes so I may be able to help you with some queries.
Please feel free to message me if you require any info.

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Hi,
Thanks. I however have a little problem: our presentation is within two weeks, we've got loads to do. The university hasn't got a copy of either book. Do you have these at home? If so, would it be possible for you to look up the authors of antiquity who write about this (preferably 1 century BC and AD)? I don't want to order the books abroad at a ridiculous price.. If I know the authors, I can look up the texts themselves (on the internet or by going to the library). I don't need secondary literature, so the sources themselves suffice.

Memmia, do you have any pictures of them? It might be nice to use these in our presentation as a little extra.