The object could have been used for sexual purposes or as a good luck charm.
It was first cataloged as a sewing tool but may have had a very different use. A sixteen centimeter long wooden object found in 1992 at Roman Fort Vindolanda in Northumberland in northern England has recently been re-examined by archaeologists from the Universities of Newcastle and Dublin. Result: It could be the oldest sex toy ever found, says The Guardian.
“I have to admit, part of me thinks it’s pretty obvious that it’s a penis,” said Rob Collins, Lecturer in Archeology at Newcastle University.
The expert also declared “without knowing” who had registered the object as a sewing tool at the time of its discovery in 1992. “Maybe it was someone who was uncomfortable with the subject,” “or didn’t believe the Romans were doing these things,” he added.
Sex object, pestle or lucky charm?
The researchers eventually came up with three theories about the usefulness of this object, which was discovered in a ditch along with several pairs of shoes. It could initially be a sex toy used for pleasure or as an object of torture.
“Sex toys weren’t always used for fun, they could be a tool of torture,” Collins explained, adding “hopefully” it was used in the first situation.
If so, it would be “the first sex toy found by archaeologists,” he said. Still, the researcher thought it was “a bit surprising” that the oldest sex object was found in the north of the Roman Empire and not in Italy.
Exhibited in a museum
According to a second theory, the wooden object could have been used as a pestle, for culinary purposes, or for grinding cosmetic or medicinal ingredients.
According to the last possibility, he would have been part of a statue that was touched by passers-by to bring them luck or ward off evil. A less likely theory given the conditions in which the wooden object was preserved.
The latter was exhibited in the Vindolanda Museum. Researchers hope their discovery will lead to searches for similar objects in other collections.