Women and desire in the ancient world with Jean Menzies

All Book Fringe events are FREE in person + online | no tickets required (but you can reserve them here to get a book/reminder of the event & help us have enough seats for everyone)

Escape the Fringe frenzy for a fascinating look at women, sex and desire in the ancient world!

In Aphrodisia, Jean Menzies delves into the literature, art and artefacts of Ancient Greece and Rome, from sex toys to seduction tips to kink, uncovering the many faces of women's sexuality over the course of thousands of years. What stories lie behind the ones - most often centring men - that we’ve always heard about? And what can they tell us about sexuality and desire today?

Aphrodisia is one of our most anticipated reads of 2026 and we can’t wait to welcome Jean to the Book Fringe!

This event will be 30 mins followed by audience questions and signing. Please feel free to attend any or all of these depending on your capacity!

Our speaker:

Dr Jean Menzies is an award winning author and ancient historian. She writes nonfiction about history and mythology for all ages, as well as fiction for adults. Her latest title, Aphrodisia: Women, Sex and Pleasure in the Classical World, was published by Monoray in 2026 and explores the sex lives of women in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Otherwise you can find her talking all things books and history @jeansthoughts online.