Pudor, 'shame, modesty', was a regulating factor in behavior, as were legal strictures on certain sexual transgressions in both the Republican and Imperial periods. It has sometimes been assumed that 'unlimited sexual license' was characteristic of ancient Rome, but sexuality was not excluded as a concern of the mos maiorum, the traditional social norms that affected public, private, and military life. Sexual attitudes and behaviors in ancient Rome are indicated by art, literature, and inscriptions, and to a lesser extent by archaeological remains such as erotic artifacts and architecture. Attitudes and behaviors towards sex in ancient Rome Satyr and nymph, mythological symbols of sexuality on a mosaic from a bedroom in Pompeii.
