Science

A bio-archaeologist with the University of Reading, in the U.K., has found an ancient dog's red-painted penis bone along with a trove of other bones, in an ancient Roman era quarry shaft. In her paper published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, Ellen Green describes where the bone was found, its condition, and possible reasons for it being painted red.

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Green states that during Roman times, the penis, or depictions of it, were used in many contexts, many of which involved hoping for good luck. She suspects that the bone from the shaft likely played a role in a ritual of some sort, either before being tossed into the quarry shaft, or during its internment. She notes that other objects found in the shaft support the idea that the bone could have played a role in a larger ritual—perhaps one related to fertility.

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