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Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Sex Lives of the Roman Legion

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.81.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the Roman Empire grew, so did the importance of its army - the Roman Legion.


But what was life on the march like? What happened on the encampments after dark? And why couldn't eunuchs join the Roman legion?!


Joining Kate today to tell her all about this battle-hardened rabble, is Rome-based historian and tour guide Alex Meddings. Find out more about his work here: https://alexandermeddings.com/ 


Episode edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.


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All music from Epidemic Sounds.


Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello everyone, it's me your host, Kate Lister. I'm just jumping in before the episode to ask you for a little favour.

0:07.6

If you are enjoying betwixt, and I hope that you are, we'd love it if you could vote for us for the

0:12.5

Listeners Choice Awards at the British Podcast Awards. If you follow the link in the show notes,

0:17.9

it should take you to the place you need to go and it would mean the world to us. We were shortlisted last year and the one before that, and the one before that.

0:27.8

We were so close. And it just made us want it even more. I think we can do it this year.

0:34.1

Right on with the show.

0:38.3

Welcome to the Eastern City, the walkie-talkie, the Gurkutki, Ledenhall Market.

0:43.3

It's where the old meets the new, where pioneers have made things happen for 2,000 years.

0:49.3

It's where diverse minds help our society today and enable a sustainable tomorrow, where Michelin Star Food

0:55.8

meets London's most iconic viewing galleries. Here, life blends seamlessly with work. This is the

1:02.7

community that drives change. Search Eastern City. Hello, my lovely betwixters, it's me, Kate Lister.

1:13.5

This is betwixt the sheets and thank you for stopping by once more.

1:18.3

But because I'm a responsible adult, I have to protect you from, well, from me, quite frankly, and my guest.

1:24.9

So here we go.

1:25.9

This is an adult podcast, spoken about adults to other adults,

1:27.8

about dultu things in an adult who are covering our wager. Right, I think that you've got the gist of that now.

1:34.0

Can we crack on with the show? Do you feel protected? Good. Me too. Right. Let's do this. Pst, come here.

1:53.6

I'm crouched behind a stack of shield somewhere on the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.

2:00.2

The air smells like blood, sweat and leather.

2:04.0

These bloodthirsty rables have had a couple of days downtime,

2:08.0

and let's say, discipline has left the encampment.

2:11.6

All around me are burly legionnaires, swapping stories, smuggling in wine,

...

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