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Bawdy token used to pay for pleasure


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IOL is carrying this article on the discovery of what is believed to be an extremely rare (first found in Britain) Roman brothel token.

 

London - A Roman coin that was probably used by a lustful legionary has washed up on the banks of the Thames.

Made from bronze and smaller than a ten pence piece, the coin depicts a man and a woman engaged in an intimate act.

Historians believe it is the first example of a Roman brothel token to be found in this country.

It lay hidden in mud for almost 2,000 years until it was unearthed by an amateur archaeologist with a metal detector.

On the reverse of the token is the numeral XIIII, which experts say could indicate the holder handed over 14 small Roman coins called asses to buy it.

This would have been the equivalent of seven loaves of bread or one day

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A wonderuful find, Melvadius!

Edited by GhostOfClayton
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Sorry folks the Guardian link will not display correctly since it includes a certain 4 letter word which I now suspect that the forum software does not allow to appear here or be included in links.

 

The link is as follows:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/jan/04/*or*-roman-brothel-tokens-erotic-art

 

If you put back, given the subject, the obvious missing letters shown as * in the above you should be able to find it.

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Those randy Romano-Brits. :no2:

 

A previous post on sprintiae:

 

http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/10952-numismatics-more-than-coinsspintriae/

 

guy also known as gaius

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