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SCIENTISTS THINK THEY FOUND A 2,000-YEAR-OLD DILDO IN ANCIENT ROMAN RUINS

Is it an ancient sex toy, a good luck charm, or a pestle for grinding medicine?

By Laura Baisas | Published Feb 21, 2023 11:00 AM EST

 * Science

The 6.3 inch long artifact was discovered in England, at the Roman fort of
Vindolanda. The Vindolanda Trust
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A study published February 20 in the journal Antiquity believes that a nearly
2,000 year-old penis-shaped wooden object might have been a sex toy used by
ancient Romans in Britain. It could be the “first known example of a
non-miniaturized disembodied phallus made of wood in the Roman world,” according
to the study. 



Archaeologists found the almost seven-inch-long artifact over 20 years ago in a
ditch near Vindolanda, the remains of a Roman Fort near Hadrian’s Wall. The
73-mile-long wall in northern England once once marked the northwest frontier of
the Roman Empire. 



[Related from PopSci+: These sex toys are designed to heal, one orgasm at a
time.]

According to the study, the tool was initially believed to be a darning tool,
likely because it was found alongside dozens of shoes, dress accessories, and
small tools and craft waste products. It was also suspected that the object may
have been used as a pestle or as a charm to “ward off evil,” as phalli were used
across the Roman Empire as a way to protect against bad luck. They were usually
depicted in paintings and mosaics, and small phalli made from metal or bone were
commonly worn as pendants around the neck.



A new analysis from Newcastle University and University College Dublin found
that this is the first known example of a disembodied wooden phallus recovered
in the Roman world. 



“Wooden objects would have been commonplace in the ancient world, but only
survive in very particular conditions – in northern Europe normally in dark,
damp, and oxygen free deposits,” said Rob Sands, a study co-author and
archaeologist from University College Dublin, in a statement. “So, the
Vindolanda phallus is an extremely rare survival. It survived for nearly 2000
years to be recovered by the Vindolanda Trust because preservation conditions
have so far remained stable. However, climate change and altering water tables
mean that the survival of objects like this are under ever increasing threat.”

The team believes that it was more likely used to stimulate the clitoris and not
necessarily used for penetration. It could have been used as a pestle to grind
cooking ingredients or medicine. The phallus could have been slotted into a
statue for passers-by to touch for good luck or to absorb its protection from
back luck. This practice was common throughout the Empire and the statue it
belonged to may have been located near the entrance to an important government
or military building.



“The size of the phallus and the fact that it was carved from wood raises a
number of questions to its use in antiquity. We cannot be certain of its
intended use, in contrast to most other phallic objects that make symbolic use
of that shape for a clear function, like a good luck charm,” said Rob Collins, a
study co-author and archaeologist from Newcastle University, in a statement. “We
know that the ancient Romans and Greeks used sexual implements – this object
from Vindolanda could be an example of one.”



[Related: Ancient athletes did something truly shocking with their genitals.]

The phallus is currently on display at the Vindolanda museum and the team hopes
that the findings encourage more analysis of previously found objects to better
understand their purposes.



“This rediscovery shows the real legacy value of having such an incredible
collection of material from one site and being able to reassess that material,”
said Barbara Birley, Curator at the Vindolanda Trust, in a statement. “The
wooden phallus may well be currently unique in its survival from this time, but
it is unlikely to have been the only one of its kind used at the site, along the
frontier, or indeed in Roman Britain.”


Laura Baisas

Laura is a science news writer, covering a wide variety of subjects, but she is
particularly fascinated by all things aquatic, paleontology, nanotechnology, and
exploring how science influences daily life. Laura is a proud former resident of
the New Jersey shore, a competitive swimmer, and a fierce defender of the Oxford
comma.



Archaeology


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