Did regular ancient Romans really made orgies or was it just a thing of the decadence years?

Question

Did regular ancient Romans really made orgies or was it just a thing of the decadence years?

Answer 1

Not the regular Romans just the upper echelons,

Answer 2

  Most likely "regular Romans" did not hold orgies. They simply couldnt afford to throw the lavish parties at which orgies occurred. What we think of as orgies today were usually held by richer nobles or politicians, or later the emperors, out to impress others, especially potential allies. They were not cheap, especially as a host would always be trying to do one better than the last person to put on such an event.

   There are also a couple of other factors. The act of having an orgy was in a sense a way of flouting the societal norms. The Romans weren't prudish; they liked s*x and it was an open part of their society. All slaves, male and female, could expect to be used sexually as a normal part of their life. But with orgies, the s*x wasn't limited to guest using slaves as living s*x toys. They would involve guests, generally of high social status, engaged with other guests, or their wives, or other pairings  out of the norm. So in a way, orgies were a way of people demonstrating one was above the laws of the land, and outside of the normal bounds of conventional behavior. Such options just weren't available for folks of lesser status.

   As for the "decadance years", its hard to state when such a time existed. There have always been those who have carried on in outrageous fashion, to be followed by periods where such activities would be discouraged or outlawed by the ruling emporer. Human nature is what it is.  The best you can do is limit such outragious behavior. Which was impossible in those cases where the person committing them was the head of state, as with Caligula, or Nero, or Egalabalus.