Sex and violence in Ancient Roman culture have continued to fascinate for thousands of years. For instance, the gladiator fights at the Roman Colosseum have proven so enduring that Airbnb is reviving them for a one-time event (without the killing, naturally) in 2025.

Hedonism was another Ancient Roman specialty that continues to captivate—whether it’s the Bacchanalia with its parties so wild they were kept out of the history books (full of drunkenness and orgies), or the strategizing of seductions and extra-marital affairs so artfully captured in Ovid’s Ars Amatoria.