Touch wood

Luck, protection, power or pleasure? A wooden phallus from Vindolanda Roman fort

Bibliographic Data

ID3326012
AuthorsRob Collins (0000-0002-8315-8668, Newcastle University, corresponding author), Rob Sands (0000-0003-3458-0229, University College Dublin)
Year2023
Volume97
Issue392
Pages419-435
Publication date2023-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAntiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-598X • E-ISSN: 1745-1744
PublisherAntiquity Publications (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.15184/aqy.2023.11
OpenAlexW4321375915
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited33

The anaerobic conditions at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, close to Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain, have famously preserved a variety of finds made of organic materials, including wooden writing tablets and a pair of leather boxing gloves. Here, the authors re-examine a wooden object originally recovered in 1992, re-interpreting the find as a large, disembodied phallus. Stone and metal phalli are known from across the Roman world, but the Vindolanda example is the first wooden phallus to be recognised. Combining evidence for potential use-wear with a review of other archaeological and contextual information, the authors consider various possible interpretations of the function and significance of the Vindolanda phallus during the second century AD

Archaeology · Art · Luck · Object (grammar) · Phallus (fungus) · Pleasure · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · History · Philosophy · Psychology

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