The Roman army was obsessed with winning and showing off their dominance | Photo: ITV2 Bromans Masters and slaves Rome achieved this dominance through centuries of ruthless wars and the subjugation of its neighbors which the Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche refers to as ‘the will to power.’Īnd this power obsession fed into all parts of Roman society, especially sex. With all this newly conquered land came new subjects to boss around. And for many, that meant a life of slavery.Īnd whether it was a sexual situation or not – the will or care of the slave was not really considered. The master would use his property as he saw fit.
Louis Crompton, suggests in his book Homosexuality and Civilisation that Roman gay relationships were completely focused on this dominance and the master vs slave dynamic.īut it gets even more complicated if your bottom was ‘free born’ – and therefore not a slave.
