Municipality of Nueva CarteyaAncient Romans saw phalluses as a sign of good fortune and protection
Spain were excavating the El Higuerón archaeological site
was the largest Roman phallus that they had ever seen
Andrés Roldán, the director of the excavation, said that though phalluses are common finds at Roman archeological sites, the carving in Nueva Carteya was “unusually large,” according to El País
“It was common to place them on the facades of houses or for them to be small amulets worn by soldiers as a symbol of virility
but no such size as the one found now,” Roldán explained
“We are consulting the bibliography and
we have not found one of such dimensions.”
As Vice reports
the Roman phallic carving is indeed a sight to behold
Carved into the base of a limestone building within a fortified enclosure in El Higuerón
and four inches squared at the testicle region
Museo Histórico Local de Nueva CarteyaArchaeologists were impressed with the size of the phallus
and think it may be the largest ever found
Though the phallus found in Nueva Carteya is impressive, archaeologists frequently stumble across phallic imagery while excavating ancient Roman sites. As Art News reports
People living in ancient Rome saw the imagery as a sign of good fortune and protection
As such, phallic imagery is spread across ancient Roman sites and artifacts. Roman sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, and pendants contain phalluses, and sites like Hadrian’s Wall famously contain almost 60 penis carvings. There, the Roman good luck symbol played a slightly different role. According to the Guardian
it boasted of Roman power to cowed natives
the symbol played a very different role in ancient times than it does today
Though modern eyes are likely to see the phallic symbol as rude graffiti when encountering it in a bathroom stall or at a bus stop
ancient Romans saw it as representative of power and luck
“These types of [phallic] representations were common at the time,” the Museo Histórico Local de Nueva Carteya explained on Facebook while announcing the discovery of the phallus in Nueva Carteya
“despite the impression one might have today.”
the phallus in Nueva Carteya is just one small part of the larger El Higuerón archaeological site
Museo Histórico Local de Nueva CarteyaMen at the El Higuerón archaeological site where the Roman phallus was found
El Higuerón was first excavated in the 1960s
Archaeologists determined then that it had once been inhabited by ancient Iberians
prehistoric people who lived in the south and east of Spain
the Romans likely tore down any Iberian structures and built their own
“They dismantled the town … and converted the old Iberian fortifications into pure supporting architecture,” Roldán told El País
he added — which includes Iberian and Roman influences
as well as Muslim and Christian influences — is a “much more complex history than could be expected from these archaeological sites.”
Roldán and others also discovered more evidence of this “complex history.” Vice reports that the archaeologists also discovered remnants of stucco
as well as underground chambers that ancient Romans might have once used as food storage
But something about phalluses continues to fascinate
The Museo Histórico Local de Nueva Carteya noted on Facebook that the “unusually large” phallus carving has become the “focus of the excavation.”
“Right now we are collapsed,” Roldán told El País, as reported by the Daily Mail
“We’ve been getting visits and calls all the time
and I imagine this will help us get more funding
but I’m also worried that it will all go awry.”
After reading about the Roman phallus carving found in Spain, discover the story of the surprisingly raunchy graffiti found in Pompeii. Or, look through these fascinating facts about life in ancient Rome
which are now preserved in museums around the world)
it may be one of the largest phalluses in the Roman world
according to archaeologist Andrés Roldán
a researcher at the University of Extremadura and director of the Museo Histórico Local de Nueva Carteya
“We are consulting the bibliography and
we have not been able to find another one of the same size,” Roldán told the Spanish newspaper NIUS
the Guardia Civil has been asked to intensify surveillance around the excavation to prevent possible looting
The El Higuerón site has long been known and was first excavated in the 1960s
“despite its importance to archaeological research,” Roldán argues
“its value has never been considered
since only a few stratigraphic investigations have been carried out to discover its chronology.” Now
given also the relevance of the new discovery
which acquired the land on which the Ibero-Roman structure stands
is considering starting a project to musealize the site
A massive 18-inch penis sculpture was recently uncovered at an ancient Roman site in Spain
A similar phallus carving on display in a wall at the ancient Roman city of Timgad in modern day Algeria
Researchers described the stone phallus as "unusually large."
A girthy stone penis sculpture recently uncovered at an ancient Roman site in Spain measures about 18 inches (46 centimeters) long
which could make it the largest Roman phallus carving ever discovered
The chiseled genitals may have been carved and displayed to ward off bad luck
El Higuerón dates to the fourth century B.C
and was originally an Iberian settlement before it was overtaken and built upon by the Romans
Researchers suspect that the eye-catching penis artwork was carved into a stone that was once proudly displayed at the base of a tower built by the Romans.
Phalli were an important symbol in ancient Roman culture; they were often used to ward off bad luck or to help improve virility
phallus carvings are commonly found at ancient Roman sites
the newly uncovered phallus has raised eyebrows among researchers due to its above-average size.
"We are currently researching whether one of similar dimensions has been previously found." However
this could be the largest Roman phallus ever found
Related: 7 Roman inventions: Incredible feats of ancient technology
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these spaces were particularly at risk from supernatural dangers because meeting and crossing places are where people naturally interacted," Parker wrote
"The malignant forces of the Evil Eye were thought to be particularly powerful there."
In addition, phalli were often worn as pendants or jewelry in an attempt to improve virility and fertility. In June, metal detectorists in the U.K. uncovered a silver penis pendant
which is a particularly valuable example of these erotic amulets
and it likely had an affluent owner.
However, these phallic images were not always created with beneficial intentions. In May, researchers at a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall in the U.K. unearthed a stone slab adorned with penis graffiti paired with an explicit insult
thought to have been etched by soldiers to shame a fellow brother-in-arms.
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—Rare gold coin found in Hungary shows assassinated Roman emperor
The El Higuerón carving is not the only noteworthy find to be uncovered there
Researchers previously found that Roman fortifications at the site — the phallus-bearing tower and 6-foot-thick (1.8 meters) perimeter wall — were built on top of existing Iberian buildings
This unorthodox building activity at El Higuerón
combined with the potentially record-breaking phallus
highlights "a much more complex history than one would expect from these archaeological sites," Díaz told El País
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