A phallus-shaped artifact found in England is believed to have been used as a sex object by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago, a new study says.
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Discovered in northern England in 1992, the 16-centimetre object could have served as a sex toy not only for penetration but also for clitoral stimulation, CNN research reports.
The wooden artifact would be the only non-miniaturized phallic representation in wood to date.
According to the study, such archaeological finds are rare because sex objects of the era were instead made from organic materials that aren’t as durable as wood.
Also, the Romans often used small phallic objects as pendants to ward off evil forces or bad luck.
However, the researchers claim that the artifact could have been used as a tool of torture so that an individual, such as a slave owner, could satisfy his dominance.