In the UK, archaeologists believe they may have discovered a 2,000-year-old sex object.
It was first believed that the artefact, which was really found at the Roman fort of Vindolanda in Northumberland in 1992, was a darning tool for sewing.
It may potentially be a 6.3-inch dildo, according to recent examination by specialists at Newcastle University and University College Dublin. If so, it would be the first known instance of a self-pleasuring device discovered in the Roman era.
The scientists described how the ends of the penis were notably smoother than the rest of it in an article that appeared in the journal Antiquity, indicating that it had repeatedly come into touch with something.
Researchers acknowledge that there may be alternative reasons for this, including the possibility that the object was employed as a pestle.
A third idea is that it was a statue with a penis inside that people would touch for luck.
Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at Newcastle University, Dr. Rob Collins, said: “Several issues about the phallus’ function in antiquity are raised by its size and the fact that it was carved from wood.
“Contrary to the majority of other phallic artifacts that employ that form symbolically for a specific purpose, such a good luck charm, we are unsure of this object’s intended usage.
The artefact discovered Vindolanda may be an example of the sexual tools that the ancient Romans and Greeks utilized.
He said, “If the thing is a sex toy, we think it might be the earliest example from Britain,” according to the MailOnline.
It is “very exceptional” for artifacts like the Vindolanda phallus to last as long as it has, according to Dr. Rob Sands, Lecturer in Archaeology at University College Dublin.
“Wooden artefacts would have been abundant in the ancient world,” he said, “but only persist in very specialized conditions—in northern Europe often in dark, damp, and oxygen free deposits.”
Everyone who commented online said the same thing.
One said: “Hopefully it was well sanded before usage. Can you see the pieces that were left?”
Wouldn’t splinters be an issue, another questioned?
Some humorously referred to the thing as a “rampant Roman” and questioned where the batteries would go.
»UK, archaeologists believe they may have discovered a 2,000-year-old sex object«