Power, Authority and Phallic Representations in Ancient Roman Society

Abstract

The study of everyday social practices has brought new insights to the study of antiquity. The role of sexuality in the Roman world is not only of literary question, but also a legal and political one. Its evolution reveals a fragile balance based on the virtue of the Roman matron as the sole guarantee of legitimate descent. This article considers the political repercussions of social morality, alongside a reconsideration of its precise nature. In the course of this period, power progressively infiltrated the Roman couple. This study considers the different characteristics of a phallocratic society. In particular, it addresses the question of the representations of the male sex whose omnipresence invites fundamental questions about a system of moral education balanced between obedience and devotion.