Flexible phalli

Contextualising the magic and materiality of a Romano-British antler phallus from Colsterworth Quarry, Lincolnshire

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11611160
AutoresAntony Lee (0000-0002-6196-997X, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK, autor de correspondencia)
Año2021
Volumen178
Número2
Páginas280-297
Fecha de publicación2021-03-08
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaArchaeological Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0066-5983 • E-ISSN: 2373-2288
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00665983.2021.1882105
OpenAlexW3133714839
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas38

In 1932 a deer antler carved into the form of an approximately life-sized, three-dimensional, erect human phallus was discovered alongside Romano-British activity at Colsterworth Quarry, Lincolnshire and donated to Grantham Museum. Never previously subject to a discussion in print, this article considers the phallus through the lenses of apotropaic magic and the magico-medicinal and socio-religious significance of deer and deer products in Roman Britain. The original context of discovery is not well recorded, though likely relates to an area of industrial activity with an associated settlement nearby. A variety of potential functional and ritual contexts for the antler phallus are considered: as a fragment of religious statuary, an apotropaic device on a building or vehicle, a votive offering, and as part of a tool or vessel. These discussions explore the highly contextualised applications of embodied and disembodied phallic imagery in Roman Britain, the liminal space between concepts of religion and magic, and the significance of materiality and embodied interaction when considering the socio-religious significance of phallic imagery

Aesthetics · Antler · Archaeology · Art · Embodied cognition · Literature · MAGIC (telescope · Male genitalia · Materiality (auditing · Phallic stage · Phallus (fungus · Psychoanalysis · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy · Psychology