Syphilis was definitely rampant among sex workers and their clients, as were other so-called "social" diseases (society considered them just deserts for their "sins"). They did have rudimentary condoms like you said, and prostitutes/courtesans would use herbal abortifacents like pennyroyal to abort or prevent…

This show really interesting to me because I've always been fascinated by the lives and perspectives of those who lived lived at the margins of history. The Church said sex, even between married couples, was for procreation only, and here was this group of people who not only blatantly broke those rules, but made a…

That's an interesting question, but progress isn't a linear line that stretches straight down into the past. It goes up and down and can vary dramatically depending on the exact place, time, and even portion of a society. For instance, most black people in the US were enslaved until the mid 1800s, and even those who…