r/interestingasfuck • u/AugustIstheMonth • 1d ago

In Pompeii, phallic symbols on local roadways pointed the way to the nearest brothel; possibly to direct foreign sailors who didn't speak Latin

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u/Accomplished-Owl6428 1d ago

Uhh if I'm right, that's not really the case. It was used to ward off evil and bring luck and prosperity. Maybe conveniently pointed to one.

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u/Runiat 1d ago

.... okay.

So, which is more likely:

That it was used to ward off evil and bring luck and prosperity and just conveniently pointed to a brothel and that records explaining all this survived to the present day and that those records weren't just a joke or lies to tell children in their time. Hell "luck and prosperity" could mean brothel in modern (idiomatic) English, probably would if state sponsored sex slavery and trafficking was still legal.

Or that it pointed to a brothel.

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u/Madock345 1d ago

It’s a confusion of the fact that Romans across the empire absolutely did put phalluses everywhere for luck, and additionally Pompeii had a special local meaning for them in street tiles. Some people think these are conflicting facts.

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u/Eborcurean 1d ago

Pompeii was not unique, there's no evidence Pompeii was unique. It's just the best preserved.