Sex Work in Ancient Rome

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

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 June 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What did it look like inside a Roman brothel? Who was the sex worker involved in a murder plot to kill an Emperor? And why was the Pope getting sex workers to race chariots?!

In this first episode of our brand new limited-series on sex work through history, Kate is joined by Professor Anise Strong, who takes us back to meet some of the amazing sex workers from Ancient Rome, including one who was involved in a murder plot to kill Emperor Commodus.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was 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

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister.
0:02.4	If you would like betwixt the sheets, add free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.7	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of original documentaries with top history presenters.
0:16.0	And enjoy a new release every single week.
0:19.8	Sign up now by visiting history hit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:24.6	Hello, my lovely betwixters.
0:26.5	It's me, Kate Lister.
0:27.9	You are listening to Bertwix the Sheets.
0:30.6	Hello, hello, and welcome back.
0:33.1	But don't get too comfortable.
0:34.9	I have to give you the fair do's warning.
0:37.0	And we call that because if you keep listening to this and you get upset, you the fair do's warning. And we call that,
0:37.9	because if you keep listening to this and you get upset, well, fair do's, we did tell you.
0:41.8	Here it is. This is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adulty things
0:45.5	in an adulty way, covering a range of adults, subjects, and you should be an adult too.
0:48.5	Does that feel safer? I feel safer. Right on with the show.
0:55.8	You are joining me live from the streets of ancient Rome, where the annual festival of
1:01.0	Floralia is in full swing.
1:03.5	It's part religious festival for the end of winter, part ballesque, and completely and entirely
1:09.5	Roman, which means it's bonkers. What they're doing is they are
1:13.6	celebrating a fertility goddess. Of course they are. And how are they going to do this? Right, here we go.
1:20.6	Sex workers are going to be paraded naked through the streets, whilst flowers are being thrown at them
	...

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