PolyColumbus and HCCO have teamed up to co-sponser:
Sex and Sexism in Ancient Rome: Crossroads of Sexual Freedom & State Oppression
A talk given by Richard Carrier, Ph.D.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
7:00 -9:00 pm
at
Kafe Kerouac
2250 N High, Columbus, Ohio 43202
YOU MUST RSVP via Facebook or Meet Up— Please do not comment here on this post. Please do RSVP– as we may move to a larger venue if we reach max capacity at the Kafe.
Richard Carrier, Ph.D. (ancient history, Columbia University) will discuss several aspects of open sexuality and the policing of sexuality in Ancient Rome, and their connection to the stark sexism and mild homophobia of this pre-Christian time. Sexism and homophobia in this era were less products of religion and more products of secular attitudes. Even in the face of state and social attempts to oppress sexual expression, the universality of fascinating human sexual choices still shined through.
Carrier will illustrate these points with intriguing and (at times) ribald stories about demonesses in the Talmud, priestesses with strap-ons, bisexual MMFs, and how many men the law said you had to sleep with to be legally qualified as a whore (with the attendant consequences). Yet many things, such as consensual, public, gender-equal non-monogamy, remained taboo. “When in Rome…” the saying goes, but what were the common features of what (or who) you could do while in Ancient Rome, without risking severe sanction?
Note: This talk will include explicit discussions of human sexuality and sexual thoughts and practices, given from a sex-positive, consent-focused, GLBT-inclusive perspective. Given the nature of the talk, we respectfully ask that you leave the kids at home.
This talk is co-sponsored by the Humanist Community of Central Ohio and PolyColumbus. Admission is free for dues-paid members of those organizations. For all others, an $8 donation following the talk is suggested to help cover Dr. Carrier’s honorarium.
We request all attendees purchase a beverage from the Kafe in appreciation for the free venue. Rick Carrier will be available through 9 p.m. to answer questions from the group and engage in follow-up discussions.
PLEASE RSVP at either the HCCO or PolyColumbus Meetup pages or the Facebook event (but not more than one of these) so we can get an accurate planned attendance. If there are sufficient RSVPs between the two Meetup pages and the Facebook event, we may consider moving the event to a larger (but substantially more expensive) venue.
About Dr. Carrier:
Richard Carrier is a world-renowned author and speaker. As a professional historian, published philosopher, and prominent defender of the American freethought movement, Dr. Carrier has appeared across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and on American television and London radio, defending sound historical methods and the ethical worldview of secular naturalism. His books and articles have received international attention. With a Ph.D. from Columbia University in ancient history, he specializes in the intellectual history of Greece and Rome, particularly ancient philosophy, religion, and science, with emphasis on the origins of Christianity and the use and progress of science under the Roman empire. He is also a published expert in the modern philosophy of naturalism as a worldview. He is the author of On the Historicity of Jesus, Proving History, Sense and Goodness without God, Not the Impossible Faith, Why I Am Not a Christian, and Hitler Homer Bible Christ, and a contributor to The Empty Tomb, The Christian Delusion, The End of Christianity, and Christianity Is Not Great, as well as copious work in history and philosophy, online and in print. He is currently working on several upcoming projects, but also teaching affordable online courses in secular philosophy, history, and methodology at Partners for Secular Activism, and blogging and speaking about history, philosophy, feminism, and other moral causes, as well as his past in the military and his current life in polyamory.