Sex on Capri

This paper discusses words notoriously coined to convey the "dark pleasures" of Tiberius Caesar in his last years on Capri (27-37 C.E. ). The OLD defines them thus: sellarium "A privy"; sellarius "A type of male prostitute"; spintria "A type of male prostitute." These definitions are both wrong and misleading. Sellaria (sic) should be taken as a proper noun connoting "The Brothel"; sellarius does not exist; and spintria should be understood as "bracelet worker," including both males and females. Real prostitution is not involved, but rather an extreme form of traditional elaborate private theatricals.