Posted on 01/16/2012 7:09:52 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Made from bronze and smaller than a ten pence piece, the coin depicts a man and a woman engaged in an intimate act.
Historians believe it is the first example of a Roman brothel token to be found in this country.
It lay hidden in mud for almost 2,000 years until it was unearthed by an amateur archaeologist with a metal detector.
On the reverse of the token is the numeral XIIII, which experts say could indicate the holder handed over 14 small Roman coins called asses to buy it.
This would have been the equivalent of seven loaves of bread or one day's pay for a labourer in the first century AD.
The holder would then have taken the token to one of the many Londinium brothels and handed it to a sex slave in exchange for the act depicted on the coin...
Experts say there is a possibility it could also be a gaming token -- although it would be the only one in Britain to display such an explicit illustration.
Historians believe that the use of a specific image was necessary because many of the brothel slaves would not have been fluent in Latin so needed a picture to know what service their client required.
It is also thought that tokens were a way of ensuring none of the customers' money went directly to the prostitutes.
Experts say it was also illegal to take Roman coins into a brothel during the reign of first century emperor Tiberius as they carried his image.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Maybe a British tourist brought a modern exact replica of one of the coins found at Pompeii. Or maybe a British student of archaeology pilfered one of the Pompeii coins. Take a look at them:
http://www.collectionstudio.com/it/blog/coins_or_tokens_for_brothels/
Gives a whole new perspective on “Heads or Tails?”
The Victorians “cleaned up” history for us.
The Old Testament description of cities of perversions is true.
I’m not always lickety split with responses.
Thanks george76!
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