The phallic object would have been worn round a Roman soldier’s neck (Picture: Wessex News)

There’s no subtle way of putting this, but that artefact is a miniature dildo.

That’s the conclusion of historians after the bronze pendant of a penis and testicles was discovered in the aptly named Horncastle.

Live music event at zoo leaves lions ‘stressed out’, animal rights group claimsBatteries aren’t included, nor could they be, however, because it is actually just an inch long.

It’s also a sign of the virility of whoever wore it, rather than being a self-pleasuring sexual aid.


The metal detectorist who found it handed it in to Lincolnshire County Council where Adam Daubney has been examining it.

He may have been using it to fight Queen Boudicca’s tribe who rose in revolt against the Romans (Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

He said: ‘It’s quite distinctive. It’s about an inch long and would have been worn around the neck. They were really, really popular with the Roman army.’



They were worn as a symbol of virility, power and strength and to pass on protection from Zeus and the other Roman gods for soldiers going into battle.

Night tube start date, map, lines and times – everything you need to know’It’s a really nice object, really interesting,’ he added. ‘We’ve only got a handful in Lincolnshire.’

‘There were possibly other reasons for people to wear a phallus pendant. There’s a possibility it was a fertility symbol.

‘And you would also find them fairly frequently in infant burials. The thought was it would protect the child in the afterlife.’

Phallic pendants were also made from silver and gold – but they were all symbolic of the same thing.