Thread by @GraniRau

Greek influence did far far more than the Jews at this point.

They wouldn't have considered sex to be degeneracy. Before early modernity or so, there wasn't much sense of privacy. People in medieval towns would walk naked to go bathe

https://twitter.com/KamiOKingPaimon/status/1821300681514373378

People shared beds with other people, strangers or family depending on the situation. People would have sex and use the bathroom in front of other people. This only started to change 300 years ago, a bit earlier in some places. Among the wealthier first, who could afford it.

Medieval courts of say, the 11th century had dogs running around and men fighting duels to the death. 17th century palaces like Versailles had courtiers and servants alike shitting out in the open

Weddings had people witness the consumation of the marriage meaning they watched the newlyweds have sex or at least listened outside a curtain. This very custom is mentioned by Jesus in one of his allusions to himself as bridegroom. The best man watches.

It's also expected in the Bible that bloody sheets will be kept to prove the woman was a virgin. Yes they'd be kept and her parents could be asked to present them publicly.

All this should be kept in mind when discussing the manners of the ancients. Their sense of humor was also very often blunt and crass. Satyr plays are a great example of this. In a way not so different from people of any other time.

There's a tendency to see them as words on a page or statues rather than real people.

The Romans considered things like effeminacy in men and cowardice and impiety to be degeneracy. There's little worry about sex except insofar as it impacts those...

They had a notion that sex drains vital energy from men and so men shouldn't overindulge. And their views on marriage were strict enough that it was limited. But sex itself wasn't bad.