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‘A hard-on more raging than a man’s’: what the tribas figure reveals about lesbians in ancient Rome

Lesbians were misrepresented and parodied by men in ancient Roman texts. Yet these depictions can reveal a lot if we read between the lines.

  • Term "tribas" derives from Greek "tríbō," meaning "to rub" or "wear down"
  • Roman society used "tribas" as satirical caricature of lesbians in 1st century CE
  • Philaenis, a tribas, symbolizes rejection of traditional gender norms

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