Tiny penis pendant discovered near UK landmark Hadrian's Wall may have been Roman soldier's good luck charm
It's not the size of the pendant, but the amount of luck it provides.
Archeologists discovered a heavily handled penis pendant at a fort erected near northern England landmark Hadrian's Wall and believe it was used by a Roman soldier as a good luck charm.
An excavation at the Vindolanda fort in Hexham unearthed the phallic, jet gemstone charm, which measures only a few centimeters long, but was supposedly a cherished object to its owner, according to The Independent.
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3 The teensy jet phallus was discovered at Vindolanda, a fort in northern England that is part of legendary Hadrian's Wall.
The Vindolanda Trust
'You can see that the pendant is quite smooth, not just because of the material used but also no doubt because the wearer touched the charm for good luck,' Dr. Andrew Birley, director of excavations at Vindolanda Charitable Trust told the outlet.
'This little jet pendant was lost at sometime in the early 4th century when the barrack wall in which it was found was constructed,' he added.
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3 The phallus measured just about 3 centimeters.
The Vindolanda Trust
3 Hadrian's Wall was constructed in 122 AD to keep demarcate the wild territory of the British isle.
Marieke – stock.adobe.com
Charms, pendants and other jewelry were commonly made out of jet — and phallic symbols were a favorite of Roman soldiers.
Many centurions and praetorians would wear a common symbol called the 'fist-and-phallus,' which was worn for good fortune during battle.
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Phallic symbols have previously been found at Vindolanda, which was constructed before the 122 AD assembly of Hadrian's Wall.
Last year, ancient graffiti penises carved by Roman soldiers in 207 AD was found by archaeologists — with a total of 59 phallic etchings found across the 73-mile span.
Researchers in 2018 uncovered Roman boxing gloves at the wall that were made out of twisted leather.
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