+- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com)
+-- Forum: Culture (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-49.html)
+--- Forum: History (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-117.html)
+--- Thread: Was it an ancient Roman good-luck charm, an instrument of torture, or a sex toy? (/thread-13695.html)
Was it an ancient Roman good-luck charm, an instrument of torture, or a sex toy? - C C - Feb 21, 2023
It’s not a darning tool, it’s a very naughty toy: Roman dildo found
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/20/its-not-a-darning-tool-its-a-very-naughty-toy-roman-dildo-found
EXCERPTS: Archaeologists believe they may have found the only known lifesize Roman dildo, discovered in a ditch in what were the farthest northern fringes of the empire.
If it was not used as a sexual implement then the 2,000-year-old object may have been an erect penis-shaped pestle, or it could have been a feature from a statue that people touched for good luck.
What it definitely is not is what it was catalogued as after its discovery at the Roman fort of Vindolanda in Northumberland in 1992: a darning tool.
[...] “We have had to cast our nets wide in thinking what would a six-and-a-half-inch wooden carving of a phallus be used for. We had some very interesting discussions.”
Ancient phallic objects were often used for warding off evil. The analysis showed the Vindolanda phallus had notably smoother ends, indicating it was used for something over a period of time.
The team has alighted on three possible theories, all of which are outlined in a detailed discussion paper published in the journal Antiquity.
[...] That could mean it was a sex toy although some caution is needed, said Collins.
“Sometimes they [dildos] weren’t always used for pleasure … they can be implements of torture so I’m very conscious of using the term sex toy. Hopefully that is what it was used for..." (MORE - missing details)
Jan 6, 2023 - Tour of Vindolanda archaeological excavation site? ... https://youtu.be/RKQE6pqjSmA
RE: Was it an ancient Roman good-luck charm, an instrument of torture, or a sex toy? - stryder - Feb 21, 2023
Bowling Pin.