3 eye-opening facts about sex and gender during the Roman Empire that prove the past wasn't prudish

The ancient Romans had very different ideas about bodies, sex, and gender to us.Piero M. Bianchi/ Getty

• We tend to think about people in the past as more prudish and strict about sex and gender.
• But really people have been experimenting with sex and gender for as long as humans have existed.

The ancient Romans had very different ideas about sex and gender to us, meaning they had lots of practices that you might find shocking.

You might think modern conceptions and norms around sex and gender are the most liberal they have ever been, but "Sex: A Bonkers History," a documentary airing on Sky History in the UK, shows that isn't necessarily the case. People in different societies in the past got down and dirty in ways that might be surprising or scandalous to us in the modern day.

The first episode focuses on the ancient world (perfect for those men who often think about the Roman Empire).

Here are some lesser known facts about sex and gender in the Roman Empire.