Rome was not a society that was destroyed by perversion and depravity, it was a society that liked to complain that it was being destroyed by perversion and depravity. It had done so as far back as 184 BCE when Cato the Elder ran for censor promising to purify the city of the stench of immorality and continued unabated right through the era when Rome could be rightly considered at its height. Remember Livy writing in his introduction about his disgust at how far the national character had declined? He’s writing that under the reign of Augustus, a time every history book will tell you was a golden era.
The History Girls: Just how Depraved was Ancient Rome? By L.J. Trafford
I’ve read Trafford’s non-fiction works as part of my research for “Pompeii Fire” (I promise I’ll finish it eventually). This article is an excellent overview about the legends and, in some cases, lies about the behavior of ancient Romans.