The stone with the depiction of a phallus and the insult.Image: The Vindolanda Trust
Posted on 06/01/2022 11:42:44 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Dylan Herbert uncovered a stone with a drawing of a phallus and an insult - with it expected to amuse visitors for many years to come...
Earlier this year, a Roman Altar from the 3rd century AD was uncovered, thought to be from a similar time period to the most recent discovery. Though this one is quite a lot ruder!
Not only was there a drawing, but the 40 x 15cm stone is also engraved with SECVNDINVS CACOR, making the graffiti a very personal insult. Specialists in Roman epigraphy, Drs Alexander Meyer, Alex Mullen and Roger Tomlin, recognised it as a mangled version of 'Secundinus cactor' or in English, 'Secudinus, the sh**ter." ...
Though the Roman phallus is often seen as a good luck charm or symbol of fertility, in this case the author has taken the meaning and subverted it to their own aims. Each letter has been carefully carved, which would have taken a while, leaving little doubt to the depth of feeling held.
Described as a 'fabulous' bit of social commentary, it is expected to amuse visitors for many years to come. According to the team at Vindolanda, carving such a message would have been one of the best ways to get a lot of people noticing a point of view, centuries before printed papers or social media existed.
Excavations have taken place at Vindolanda for almost 100 years, and in that time the site has chalked up more phallus carvings than any other on Hadrian's Wall. The new addition takes that tally up to 13, and while that's considered unlucky for some, Vindolanda archaeologists hope it's a great sign for the rest of the excavation season in a huge year for the Wall.
(Excerpt) Read more at chroniclelive.co.uk ...
The stone with the depiction of a phallus and the insult.Image: The Vindolanda Trust
Oh my that is great! we have been to Rome a few times and even to Ostia Antica ruins. I bet there is some graphic Graffiti there, too!
Nelson~
Isn’t that Bezos spaceship? Ancient aliens!!!!
as an old skeptical aquaintance used to say: “you can’t cacor a cacorer”
“Biggus Dickus”.
L
I’ve alwys assumed that some of the untranslateble runes found and such actually say, “Chief Grog sucks.”
Many 2022 US Christian denominations' altars seem to be heading the same direction
Perhaps the artiste was implying that Secudinus was a catcher?
Wingwangs? Or wangwings?
Tagging was MUCH more difficult before the invention of the spray can...
Graffiti is plural and there’s only one of them so that’s “graffito,” singular.
“Nero did this.”
Those Romans really worked hard and long to get their graffiti done.
“Phallus”? Looks like it might be a fish to me.
“Yo momas nose is sooo big...”
Awww...
When did he die?
‘Face
😉
It appears graffiti never went out of style in Italy, Greece and Spain.
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