Sex Scandals of Ancient Greece and Rome

by Monica Cyrino, The Great Courses

The world has utterly transformed over the course of the last 2,000 years. Many of the norms, rules, and expectations of the ancient world can feel strange to our 21st century sensibilities. But certain things remain constant, and one of those is the complexity of human relationships—especially romantic and sexual relationships.

In the six lectures of Sex Scandals of Ancient Greece and Rome, Professor Monica Cyrino of the University of New Mexico will take you on a journey to the distant past to explore the sexual behaviors that have earned ancient Greece and Rome their reputation as hotbeds of debauchery. Beginning with the mythical Helen and the scandal that launched a thousand ships, Professor Cyrino will then take you through the stories of real-life scandals and controversies, exploring ancient attitudes about gender, sexuality, intimacy, and power along the way. From the love lives of poets to the sexual proclivities of politicians, you’ll see what these liaisons reveal about a side of ancient history that’s rarely covered in the classroom.

More than ancient gossip or sordid cautionary tales, these scandalous stories are also a helpful tool in understanding the ways history can be recorded and revised to suit various agendas, both personal and political. Were infamous emperors like Nero and Caligula as depraved as the stories say? Were all political marriages devoid of love and devotion? What should we make of pederasty in ancient Athens? Were women more sexually free than they are today, or less? Why do so many historians disagree on Alexander the Great’s sexual orientation? How much of history is littered with exaggeration and even outright lies? As you explore these and other questions, you’ll find that, while societies and cultures may change, our desires and motivations stay remarkably consistent across the ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Historical, Sexuality

Audible Audio

Published November 6, 2025

Reviews

[Wee Lassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think my favourite part was Julius Caesar’s strategic Seductions 💜

[Kelly Vislocky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s history class like you've never experienced before. Join Professor Monica Cyrino as we explore the sex lives of the ancient rich and famous.

“I wanted the real scoop on their private lives, their consuming passions, their sexual appetites.”

Professor Monica Cyrino of the University of New Mexico takes listeners on a journey through the ancient world you won’t get in a classroom. She delves into the sexual history and culture of Greece and Rome using different scandals as case studies. We explore the torrid affairs of Alcibiades in Greece to the Emperors of Rome, such as Tiberius and Nero.

“In this course, you’ll hear stories we can’t always tell in a college classroom.”

I honestly enjoyed this audiobook. It was a fun way to explore history through a different lens. Sex is often seen as taboo to talk about in a lecture hall, but it is a part of the daily lives of the people we talk about. Understanding the sexual cultures of these places helps us better understand these societies and the people in them. Professor Cyrino offers this look by taking different figures and scandals in the ancient world as case studies to explore how these societies viewed sex.

The one complaint I have is the choice of case studies. The ones she highlights are quite mainstream. Professor Cyrino focuses almost exclusively on Athens in talks of ancient Greece, stopping only briefly to discuss Thebes’ Sacred Band. Then, after discussing Alexander the Great, we skip almost the entirety of the Roman Republic to fast forward to Julius Caesar and the start of the Roman Empire. The people chosen to be highlighted are also common figures in history: Caesar, Aspasia, Alexander, Augustus, etc. Those unfamiliar with ancient history would enjoy this book, but those of us already familiar with the field will be left craving at least one story we hadn’t heard already.

The audio and production are exactly what I expect from The Great Courses. The audiobook is broken into a short introduction and six half-hour lectures. Professor Cyrino has an engaging voice, and it was no trouble at all following along with her.

“Delve into the intimate details about what made the ancients blush, yearn, and swoon."

This audiobook is a fun way to explore the ancient world. It is a great introduction for those new to history, and while history nerds may be familiar with some of these stories, Professor Cyrino still narrates an engaging and enjoyable tale.

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/sex-...

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good set of lectures. I learned a lot of CRAZY stuff that was not taught in any of my college level history classes.

SIDEBAR QUESTION: Why was James T. Kirk given the middle name Tiberius? The historical record shows Emperor Tiberius to be the most horrific sexual predators, a man who did unspeakable things to men, women, and children. He was possibly the worst human to have ever lived and to have had unlimited / unquestioned power over all his victims. Why name your Hero character after this piece of human filth? Even if it’s just a middle name. Am I reading too much into this? Is it just a cool sounding name?

[Litter Bug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think if this was called "Sex Lives of the Dead and Famous" it would have been more accurate. As it was, there wasn't really a lot of focus on what I was expecting, which was sex scandals and why they were scandalous. I guess I was looking for more of a dissection of the social mores of the times. Instead it was mostly concerned with comparing ancient morals to our own and declaring their sex lives scandalous and/or reporting scurrilous gossip about historical figures and going "okay like maybe that's not true but also a lot of people said it, which is kind of the same thing as being true. And doesn't the fact that I believed it kind of say something about society?" This book never really considered why anyone would want to make up a terrible sex rumour about someone they hated, and why something so salacious would get so easily picked up and spread, and instead seemed to kind of think that the only reason that would happen would be if it was true. Not enough scandal for me, should have gotten weirder with it.

[Achilles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of it.

It was only when, despite no or tentative evidence, she charged Socrates with actually having a sexual affair with Alkibiades. Her reasoning was the relentless sexual pursuit of Alkibiades. And when, despite the evidence not directly pointing somewhere, she leaned towards Alexander the Great not being as sexually restrained as is often reported. Even contradicting the biographical report that his main companion, Hephaestion, was a “friend” and not a lover. Leaning towards him being his longest romantic relationship.

Be that as it may, the rest was great. I learned a lot. She obviously states that not all charges against, for example, the Julio-Claudian family are true. But that given the plethora of literary evidence, perhaps there’s more truth there than falsehood. This is definitely an audible that you want to keep in your back pocket as a handy reference!

[RB · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating. eye-opening listen. While each lesson/chapter is about 30 minutes in length, they passed quickly. I found the discussion of sexuality interesting, in that Monica Cyrino's research highlighted how we in the 21st century project backwards our current cultural interpretation of homosexuality and lesbianism. The discussion on Sappho highlighted how even four centuries BCE, the patriarchy not only destroyed most of her 10,000-plus lines of poetry written but also sought to discredit her standing and creativity. Of course there were salacious details not found in a typical classroom discussion of Alexander the Great and other contemporaries, but this is couched within the author's academic prowess as demonstrated in her study of the original source languages (Latin and Greek).

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talks about the most notorious and widely rumoured and Hollywoodized bad boys and girls.
- Tiberus
- Nero
- Ceasar
- Caligulia
- Alexander
- Augustus
- Sappho
- Cleopatra
- Messalina
- Aspasia
- Phryne
and a few others.

Lecture 1 - Sex & the Women of Ancient Greece (30 min)
Lecture 2 - Homoeroticism in Classical Greece (32 min)
Lecture 3 - Alexander the Great and the Polyamorous Sex (32 min)
Lecture 4 - Julius Caesar: Lust for Conquest (31 min)
Lecture 5 - Augustus and the Sexual Control of Rome (31 min)
Lecture 6 - The Julio-Claudians: A Dynasty of Decadence (35 min)

Interesting, but doesn't give a whole lot of background information (it's short as promised). Definitely whets the appetite to learn more about these ancients and their sex lives.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but not particularly inspired book about some aspects of Classical Greek and late Republic/early Roman Empire political history through the lens of sex scandals involving political leaders. A small bit of more interesting content about how the Greeks (mostly) thought about sexual identity (essentially the "modern Latin American" model, not the Anglo model?), but otherwise mostly just a rehash of the "infamous" stories, some of which may be exaggerations by contemporary political enemies, of some emperors and other famous historical figures.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Great Courses book is less about sex scandals than it is about the different social mores that the ancient Greeks and Romans held in comparison to ourselves. It makes for an interesting read and Cyrino constantly warns the reader against taking present day attitudes and putting them on ancient peoples. The ancient Greeks and Romans did have same sex relationships, for example, but Cyrino argues persuasively that modern conceptions of homosexuality do not truly apply to them. It's an interesting account that shows how sex could influence the ancient world.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More sort of a recap of stories told about famous Emperors. I was hoping to learn more about lesser known figures, and there was a bit of that but not much. To be fair, all we have to go on here are what ancient accounts survived, and of course, most of those are going to be about those in high positions. Also, you have to take everything with a huge grain of salt because who knows what was true and what was rumor drummed up by political enemies!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apart from the part that the scandals could be false or exaggerated, this book was actually very good. I enjoyed it a lot and I learnt some new things, especially in the way they saw relationships back then. It might not be everyone’s taste, but it definitely was mine

[Amy Lepore · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one need tell us that sex and politics go hand in hand for manipulation--arranged marriages have always been a part of historical alliances and power play. Affairs and children also play their parts. An interesting read--especially the parts on Julius Caesar.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this! The tone was fun and gossipy, and neatly summarized some interesting history even though sometimes calling these things "scandals" was kind of pushing it. Worth a listen!

[Hit No · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining. It is not a book but a cute magazine article.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stories about ancient Greece and Rome. This was fascinating.

[Trissy ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! Learned a lot of new things about various Ancient Greece figures, also tried to be considerate of the time and what was appropriate then but jeez 🫩

[JadeDakini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories and the history, would have loved to have more of them.