A number of phallic carvings have been known for centuries along Hadrian's Wall, but had never been studied collectively. Phallic carvings are ubiquitous in the Roman Empire, but were not simply the scratchings of idle boys or soldiers with time on their hands. The phallus had an important symbolic function in Roman culture - one that was taken up across the empire. Close examination of the phalli from the Wall reveals not only a range of forms, but a range of dates and contexts that challenge us to reconsider how the Wall may have been perceived by the Romans themselves.
