Six-inch wooden ‘tool’ could be the first ancient Roman dildo ever discovered

For decades the object was assumed to be a tool used in knitting or sewing (Picture: Vindolanda Trust)

Archaeologists came across this ancient hunk of wood more than 30 years ago but have somehow only just suggested it was deliberately shaped like a penis.

The object, which is 6.5 inches long and nearly 2000 years old, was found at Vindolanda, a fort south of Hadrian’s Wall.

It was classified as a darning tool upon its discovery in 1992 and remained that way until it was recently re-examined by two experts who think it is in fact the first known example of a Roman sex toy.

Explaining his process of academic analysis, Dr Rob Collins of Newcastle University told Sky News: ‘It looks like a d***.

‘The question is why, for what reason?’

Phallic imagery was commonplace in the Roman world and effigies were often displayed as divine charms to ward off envy or the evil eye.

But this object’s finders were stumped as to why it was smooth on both ends, which may explain why they assumed it was an actual tool.

They were likely overwhelmed by the thousands of other wooden objects, shoes and accessories found at the site which needed to be conserved before they started decomposing, Dr Collins explained.

Visitors can look at – but not touch – the object at the Vindolanda Museum, where it’s now on display

It may also have been handled by ‘somebody uncomfortable with it or didn’t think the Romans would do such silly things’, he added.

Dr Collins, who pored over the find for a new research paper with Dr Rob Sands of University College Dublin, continued: ‘The question we found ourselves asking is what sort of object shaped like a phallus would have greater wear at both ends than in the middle?’

The experts admitted it may have also been part of a statue which people would rub for good luck, or a pestle used to grind food or medicine while supposedly infusing its divine essence into the ingredients.

But Dr Collins said he ‘would like to think’ it was instead used as a ‘sexual implement’, suggesting people might have been ‘having fun up here on the frontier’ amid barbarian raids.

Vindolanda was garrisoned with soldiers recruited from across Europe, but its population was not exclusively military.

Some senior Roman officers also had wives and children living with them and the town was also home to traders and their families.

The phallus is now on display in the Vindolanda museum.

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