Believe it or not, this statue (called a “Herms”) was a common sight in London d

Believe it or not, this statue (called a “Herms”) was a common sight in London during its occupation by the Roman Empire.

This 6-foot tall column was topped with a bust of Hermes, who was a popular god among the ladies of Rome. A large, erect penis, complete with testicles, completed this figure that stood as boundary markers or at the crossroads of many Roman streets. Women would often fondle the stone penis praying for the god to make them more desirable, to arouse passion in a lover, or to aid them in becoming pregnant.

According to the Roman poet Catullus, women would hang garlands on the stone penis to indicate the number of men they had entertained the previous night. More often than not, the garlands of a single woman were enough to cover the penis from base to tip.

Source: The Sexual History of London

Picture: Courtesy of Wikimedia