Rust On Bathtub Drain

ROME

was going to leave out the way how to outwit the wily lover and how to outwit the jealous guardian. A married woman should fear the husband and monitoring of married women must be ensured. This is convenient, this is what's the law, law and decency .

Ovid.
The Art of Loving. PG 128.14.

Adultery has always been a subject of great concern on the part of Roman society and is well reflected in the laws and customs of the time.

Pudicia The issue of women, went far beyond maintaining the good name and honor of the man of the house. The problem for the Romans was much more serious.

At bedtime a woman married to another man, and when she who had the children of the family, what he did, was to mix the blood of his family with another person outside the family worship, polluting the blood and gods of the family. This was an act of grave immodesty that not only affected the morale of women, but the entire family circle, and their gods and private rites.

The punishment violated the woman caught in adultery to death could come at the most extreme cases and old, but usually in the late republic and early imperial period was the repudiation and subsequent divorce . Though sometimes to avoid the loss of a large dowry of honor, some men could pass the slip for good staff. mural painting shows two lovers.

Now, the punishment of the lover caught in the act, was totally in the hands of affected man's imagination.

This, according to Roman custom, was available if so desired, lover of life discovered but normal, to avoid killing the lover released the affront, was to implement a number of possible sexual torture to adultery.

As an example, normal was the man to deliver the prisoner to their slaves so that sexually abused and so never forget what he had done. This punishment was often evaluated by the Romans, as more terrible than death, because the honor of every Roman was closely related to their sexual behavior.

Every free man, reflected his freedom, power and honor through exercising active stance on sex.
In Roman society, did not much matter who is penetrated (male, female) while you were the one penetrated and not the one who was penetrated.
If you were a free man and allowed to penetrate, making the passive position of women in the sexual act, became a sissy, a man without honor, values, virtues and worst of all, no freedom.

Therefore, the Roman law strongly sanctioned those trying to sexually violate children and teens away from both sex and married women. Also why, when a child or young person leaving his house, it was always a slave or a group of them, to protect their modesty.
To prevent abuse, adultery and placate the needs of men, they could use without problem to their own slaves, slaves or prostitutes. These were valued for their contribution to society, to prevent wrong passionate men the object of his passion, looking young and married women free.

celebrity mosaic depicting a Meretrix (Courtesan of the time)