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LOT 0677
Roman Phallic Amulet
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
2 1/8 in. (26.1 grams, 55 mm).
A bronze phallic amulet composed of a hollowed truncated conical socket, with a curved arm to each side, one ending in a phallic shape, the other ending with a closed fist.
ProvenanceAcquire in the 1990s.
Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Cf. for similar amuler or pendant Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 436.
FootnotesRoman phallic amulets are represented by many examples preserved in museums and private collections, with a vast variety of types. This specimen belongs to category of double phallus, even if one of the male attributes is here represented as a fist. These amulets were worn as a wish for fertility and virile power, often hung on horses as harness pendants.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0677
Roman Phallic Amulet
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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Roman Military Compass and Tweezers Multi-Tool
Circa late 2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A bronze multi-tool featuring a compass and tweezers, free-moving collar to one arm, one arm with two oval terminals and one tapering to a point. 19 grams, 90 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
This instrument, a type of circinus formed of two flat-section arms, was widely used by masons and carpenters, as well as for making wall decorations for the preparation of repetitive elements such as spirals or circles. It was widely used by the agrimensores of the army, as is proven by a very similar specimen found in Carnuntum, the camp of the Legio XIIII Gemina. -
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A pair of bone dice with dot-in-ring numbering, both composed: 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 4.28 grams total, 10 mm each
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