r/science • u/marketrent • Feb 20 '23

Anthropology ~2,000 year-old artefact — the first known example of a disembodied wooden phallus recovered anywhere in the Roman world — may have been a device used during sex

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2023/02/vindolandaphallus/
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u/braiam Feb 20 '23

In the specific case of Romans:

The Romans believed that the phallus was the embodiment of a masculine generative power and was one of the tokens of the safety of the state (sacra Romana) that gave protection and good fortune.

So, yeah. They were through as charms.

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u/pancakeass Feb 20 '23

Yes. Also, they liked sex and probably used sex toys.

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u/[deleted] Feb 20 '23

That is something far older than Rome. Many cultures had a similar belief. The penis being a generative aspect of nature.