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© Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Girona
Omeka ID 3146
Empúries
Roman world

phallic amulet

MAC GIR-000752

Object type
phallic amulet
Production date
1 / 100
Fabric
-
Museum
Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Girona
Culture
Roman world
Discovery location
Empúries
Materials
bronze
Township
Escala, l' (Europa, Espanya, Catalunya, Girona, Alt Empordà)
Technique
molding
Where is it?
MASPG
Dimensions
84 x 56 x 12,5 mm
Description
Roman phallic amulet of bronze, dating to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It comes from Empúries (L'Escala, Alt Empordà). Made in a mould, it is 8 cm wide and 5 cm high. It is of the type called “cum scroto pubeque” . Under the suspension ring, on the right side of the piece is an erect phallus and on the left an arm with his hand making the fig (fist closed with the thumb protruding between the index and middle fingers), a representation of the female sexual organ and the sexual act. At the bottom the male sexual organ is seen from the front, with the penis at rest, the testicles and small incisions that represent the pubic hair. These types of amulets, despite their sexual character, were related to protection. The association of the male member with the protection against the evil eye would be represented in many areas that were not of a sexual type. A text by Varro has suggested that such small amulets could have also been used by children, although the quintessential children's amulet was the “bulla” .

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