-
Tiny Roman Good-Luck Charm Found at Carlisle Reveals the Superstitions of Life on Hadrian’s Wall
A tiny Roman good-luck charm found in northern England has brought archaeologists closer to the private fears, hopes and protective rituals of people who lived on Rome’s frontier nearly 1,800 years ago. The phallus-shaped Roman artefact was discovered during excavations at Carlisle Cricket Club in Cumbria, where archaeologists have been investigating the remains of a…
-
Only Known Roman Bone Phallus Discovered in Museum Storage in the Netherlands
A routine inventory inside a Dutch museum storage facility has revealed something archaeologists almost never see: a Roman phallus carved from bone, an object so unusual that it may be the only confirmed example of its kind from the ancient world. The artifact surfaced during a large-scale cataloging project at the Valkhof Museum in the…
-
A 4th-Century Amulet Linked to “Cancer” Comes to Light at Pisidian Antioch’s Temple of Men
A small object recovered during the 2024 excavation season at Pisidian Antioch in southwestern Turkey is drawing renewed attention for what it may reveal about illness, belief, and personal devotion in Late Antiquity. The artifact, a modest amulet dated to the 4th century CE, bears the image of a crab — a symbol closely associated…