The Forum

Stick Your Head in the Sand!

I don’t understand the people who are offended by articles like “How to Find a Brothel in Pompeii” (Thomas A.J. McGinn, January/February 2004). Why do they bother to read them?

All of your articles are extremely interesting, and I love to be reminded that “there’s nothing new under the sun.”

Real Life

Not long ago I decided that you would never publish articles that depict ancient cultures and societies as they truly existed. Then I read the issues with articles on prostitution in Pompeii and Roman toilets (Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, “Roman Latrines: How the Ancients Did Their Business,” May/June 2004). I then realized that I was mistaken, and I now wish I could afford to take out subscriptions to make up for the people who cancel theirs because they are offended by glimpses of real life.

A Fine and Private Place

Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow noted that “Romans preferred the privacy and convenience afforded by a single-seat toilet at home.”