An object discovered in the ruins of the Vindolanda Roman fort in Northumberland (England) could have been used as a sex toy. They believe they may have found the only known life-size Roman dildo, the archaeologists in charge of the site have announced in a publication in the journal Antiquity.
The object was discovered in 1992 and at first it was interpreted as a mender, since it was found surrounded by shoes, clothing accessories, small tools, and scraps of worked leather. These materials along with more than 800 were discarded in one of the moats of the 2nd century fort. In total from the archaeological excavation, some 2,000 portable wooden objects have been dated, mainly from the late 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
Another possibility that the researchers collate is that the object was used as a pestle, either for culinary purposes or to grind ingredients for cosmetics or medicinal treatments.
But new analysis by Professors Rob Collins of Newcastle University and Rob Sands of University College Dublin have shown that it is at least the first known example of a disembodied phallus made of wood recovered anywhere. part of the Roman world.
The Vindolanda phallus - as it is known - is about 16 centimeters long, but according to archaeologists, it was probably larger because the wood - young ash, common in the area - is prone to shrinking and warping over time. . In Roman times, the representations of the phalluses were omnipresent: in mosaics, frescoes, decoration of vessels or pendants.
If it wasn't used as a sexual instrument, then the 2,000-year-old object could have been an erect penis-shaped pestle, or it could have been a feature of a statue that people touched for good luck, the scholars say. researchers.
