Its author Vicki Leon, 70, who is a self-described “historical detective”, said that she was shocked when she started investigating how people celebrated love and lust more than 2,000 years ago, the Daily Mail reported.

She writes on The Huffington Post: “No one back then identified as hetero or gay or bisexual. They readily admitted to a rainbow of sensual pleasures - guilt-free.”

As she started researching in more detail she discovered a plethora of things that men and women in the First century A.D. were obsessed with.

To get an insight into ancient Roman life Leon traveled more than 6,000 miles from California to Italy where she spoke with experts, studied artifacts and visited archeological sites.

In her new book there are dozens of chapters touching on sexual attitudes and behaviors in times past.

On the subject of breadstick dildos she said that it began in a bakery B.C., where a gal with time on her hands started fooling around with bread dough.

“While lasciviously daydreaming, she created an olisbo-kollix: the breadstick dildo, the sex industry’s first green product. From this moment on, lonely widows in Arcadia, unsatisfied moms in Athens, and partnerless gals on Lesbos had a DIY pal, discreet and disposable,” she said.

Discussing aphrodisiacs she reveals how some overly virile men actually needed reverse Viagra to “cool their jets”.

Some of the stranger remedies included an ointment made from mouse droppings and large helpings of lettuce.