John Clarke (historian)  

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John Clarke is Professor of Fine Arts, University of Texas at Austin. Clarke joined the University of Texas at Austin in 1980, his research and teaching focus on Roman art, historical methodology and contemporary art.

Clarke was a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome (2011-2013), a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council of Learned Societies, (2000-2010), and has served on the Board of Directors of the College Art Association (1991-2001—President 1998-2000).

Roman Sex: 100 BC to AD 250

Picture a world where good sex is a blessing of the gods, not a cause for guilt, and where acts often considered immoral, even illegal, by today's standards are instead celebrated. Such a world is no futurist's fantasy, but rather the reality of ancient Rome, 100 B.C. to A.D. 250.

In Roman Sex, a lavishly illustrated, contextual study of the erotic art of that era, historian John R. Clarke exposes previously hidden paintings, sculptures, and ceramics featuring such controversial subject matter as group sex, lesbianism, and the phallus as talisman. He then uses these works to explain ancient Roman attitudes toward a range of societal issues. The beautifully reproduced art, all in color, hails from the entire Roman empire, including what is now Germany and France.

Fresh, accessible, and seriously fun, Roman Sex offers copious information about a culture that, though very different, was an important precursor of our own.

Bibliography

• Clarke, John R. (2013), Before Pornography: Sexual Representation in Ancient Roman Visual Culture, in Maes (2013)
• Clarke, John R (2007), Roman life : 100 B.C. to A.D. 200, Abrams, ISBN 0810993392
• Clarke, John R (2007), Looking at laughter : humor, power, and transgression in Roman visual culture, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250, University of California Press, ISBN 9781282357051
• Clarke, John R (1998), Looking at lovemaking : constructions of sexuality in Roman art, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250, University of California Press, ISBN 9780585327136
• Clarke, John R; College Art Association of America (1979), Roman black-and-white figural mosaics, Monographs on archaeology and fine arts, 35., Published by New York University Press for the College Art Association of America, ISBN 9780271004013

• Roman Sex: 100 BC - AD 250, 2003, Harry N. Abrams)