Researchers Think an Ancient Roman Phallus May Have Been a Dildo

Apparently, ancient Romans may have been even hornier people than previously thought. According to CNN, a 2,000-year-old wooden phallus-shaped object–which was originally found in 1992 in a ditch near the northwest border of the Roman Empire in England–might not have been a “darning tool” used for mending fabric as originally thought. Researchers now think that the object may actually be an ancient dildo of sorts due to the fact that the ends of the object show more wear at both ends than in the middle, suggesting that those ends made more contact with human skin and may have been used for self pleasure.

“It very well could be a sex object and, if it is, it is the first example from the Roman world,” Rob Collins, co-author of the study, tells CNN. “We shouldn’t be surprised by this. We know from Roman art and Roman literature that they used dildos, that they existed. But we haven’t found any examples archaeologically yet.”

Collins was also quoted by The Guardian as saying that “it’s kind of self-evident that it is a penis” and suggested that the person who originally cataloged it as a darning tool might have done so out of some sense of sexual propriety. “Maybe it was somebody uncomfortable with it or didn’t’ think the romans would do such silly things.”

However, Collins also told CNN that the object, while most likely used for sexual insertion, might not have always been used for pleasure. It may have been used by slave owners on their slaves to torture them or assert their power over the slave. If that were the case, it could have been used on either men or women. However the study also suggested the tool to be more likely to be used for clitoral stimulation than penetration.

According to CNN, there are other uses that the study suggests could have been possible. It could have been slotted into a statue or some other object and touched by passers-by for good luck. This was apparently common throughout the Roman Empire, but this particular phallus is missing some of the elements commonly used for such purposes. Based on the ends being the most used part of the object, it also could have been a pestle for mixing materials for medicines or even cosmetics. Collins even said it may have changed uses over time, starting out as a pestle and then becoming a sex toy, suggesting that Romans made do with what they had available.