Phalluses in Pompeii

I’m always on the lookout for interesting architectural details. In Pompeii, a unique feature were all the penises!

They do not all mean the same thing. Sometimes they are literally pointing the way to the nearest brothel, such as the last two in this post.

Other times, they refer to the god Priapus. Our guide told us that the phallus over the baker’s oven is likely an appeal to Priapus for abundance.

Also shown here are the mill stones for grinding flour, and another architectural detail. I’m not sure what it means exactly.Read more