|
Anonymous issues. 1st-3rd centuries AD. PB Tessera (12mm, 2.38 g). Phallus / Blank. Rostowzew –; Overbeck, Milano 146. Light deposits. Good Fine.
Rostowzew grouped the tesserae depicting a phallus with others bearing the legend AMOR and the handful of lead pieces depicting sexual acts, assuming they were all related to the brothels. Thornton (“The Roman Lead Tesserae : Observations on Two Historical Problems Author,” in Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte 29 [1989]) makes a much stronger case for relating them to the god Mercury. Tesserae types generally depict either two deities, a deity and an attribute, two attributes, or some combination attribute or deity and legend, and the phallus is often found paired with attributes associated with Mercury.
Closing Date and Time: 20 October 2021 at 12:41:00 ET.
All winning bids are subject to an 18% buyer’s fee.
|
