性本能与性倾向是人之所以为人的基本特征。博物馆历来认为性倾向是个难以把握的主题。一些古代文明的物质文化颇具争议性,博物馆只能将其限制性展出。庞贝和赫库兰尼姆的考古发掘表明,罗马人与19世纪的欧洲人对性的态度大相径庭。19世纪初的几十年,那不勒斯国家考古博物馆和大英博物馆均设立了秘密展室,收藏那些“不大体面的异教徒情色遗物”。19世纪,随着时间推移,大英博物馆情色密室的藏品规模大幅增长,搜罗了来自世界各地不同文化的相关素材。其他地方也出现了秘密博物馆、私密展柜 Sexual instinct and sexual orientation are the basic characteristics of human beings. It has always been the museum’s view that sexual orientation is a difficult topic to grasp. The material culture of some ancient civilizations is controversial, and the museum can only display it in a restrictive manner. The archaeological excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum show that the Romans differ greatly from the sexual attitudes of 19th-century Europeans. In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and the British Museum both set up secret galleries to collect “unseemly infidelity relics”. In the 19th century, with the passage of time, the size of the collections of the British Museum’s esoteric chamber grew dramatically, collecting relevant materials from different cultures around the world. Other places also appeared secret museum, private showcase