Bronze amulet with horses' hooves and pendants, Graeco-Roman, 100 BCE-400 CE
- Made:
- 100 BCE-400 CE in Roman Empire
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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseSolid bronze phallic amulet in form of pripus with hindquarters
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Solid bronze phallic amulet in form of pripus with hindquarters of horse, suspension loop and chain at top and 2 pendants attached to base, Graeco-Roman, no provenance details, 100BC-400
Made from bronze, this amulet on the right shows a phallus with the hindquarters and hooves of a running horse. Phallic-shaped amulets were popularly worn as symbols of fertility and strength. They were essentially good luck charms.
An amulet was, and for many people still is, believed to have magical and spiritual powers, bringing good fortune and good health and protecting against bad luck, which includes disease and sickness. It is shown here with two other examples (A67895 and A97578).
Details
- Category:
- Classical & Medieval Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A154056
- Materials:
- bronze
- type:
- amulet
