A Roman carving of a phallus is to go on public display for the first time after being used as a garden ornament for 20 years.
The limestone carving was dug up in a garden in the Lincolnshire village of Braceby in 1995.
The family that found it have donated it to The Collection museum in Lincoln, where it will be exhibited sometime in the new year.
The museum's Antony Lee said Romans had an "obsession" with phallic imagery.
Roman p enis carving to go on display in Lincoln
BBC News
2 January 2016
The carving is in relief and shows an erect p enis pointing towards a shape above, which might represent either a p enis or an evil eye
A Roman carving of a phallus is to go on public display for the first time after being used as a garden ornament for 20 years.
The limestone carving was dug up in a garden in the Lincolnshire village of Braceby in 1995.
The family that found it have donated it to The Collection museum in Lincoln, where it will be exhibited sometime in the new year.
The museum's Antony Lee said Romans had an "obsession" with phallic imagery.
Phallic pendants like this, found in Sudbrooke, Lincolnshire, were appropriate to wear as jewellery
"It's a prevalent enough theme in Roman art and archaeology to be considered an obsession," he said.
"Although pornographic imagery clearly existed, phallic imagery was not intended for this purpose.
"The phallus was a symbol both of protection and of promoting good fortune, and therefore was an entirely appropriate image to wear as jewellery or to carve on a city wall or important building, even to hang around your newborn baby's neck."
The monumental Roman city walls in Lincoln had at least one phallic carving on them, such as this one on East Bight
He said the family that found the carving kept it as a garden ornament, but they are now moving away and wanted it to stay in Lincolnshire.
It was probably originally inserted into the wall of a building, he added.
"The carving on the face is in relief and consists of an erect phallus pointing upwards towards a shape above, clearly the focus of the phallus' attention, and which might represent either a p enis or an evil eye," Mr Lee said.
This carving of a man riding a winged phallus was found in Long Bennington
The evil eye often appeared alongside phallic imagery in Roman art as the phallus warded against it.
The monumental Roman city walls at Lincoln had at least one phallic carving on them, adding spiritual protection.
The museum already houses examples of phallic bone and copper alloy pendants, a greyware ceramic spout and even a carving from Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, of a man riding a winged phallus.
The museum's collections and displays also include this Roman fist and phallus pendant
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Roman ***** carving to go on display in Lincoln - BBC News