It was only when a weird Jewish sect from Judea came to Rome did Romans change their attitude to sex. For the few hundred years before the first century AD, Rome had families at the centre of society, but sexual morality was looser than it subsequently became.[link] The rise of Christianity changed ideas of what was right and wrong, with an inevitable shift in behaviour.
What's considered acceptable in sex changes depending upon the culture. Everyday activities in the Anglosphere can be heretical in the Islamosphere, and v/v. The Hindu life-cycle blueprint is different from Buddhist Nirvana-seeking. Religion and politics inevitably shape how we have sex, with whom, and how we talk about it.
So...if the spectrum of activity starts with complete sexual liberty, and ends with permanent abstinence, somewhere in the middle lies the best compromise for individuals, families and society, right? Some indulgence and some discipline (not the leather and whips kind); as with all compromises, keeping reasonably within the white lines isn't always easy.
Mosaic of the Ancients here [link]
Modern Rome [link]
Edited to minimize Imperial Roman tone. SPQR.
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