Alberto Angela in Pompeii: “The lucky horns are erect phalluses”

The horns bring good luck: Alberto Angela reveals that they were actually erect phalluses, symbols of prosperity according to the ancient Romans

ROME – The lucky horns are actually erect phalluses. Alberto Angela explains it in the ‘Meraviglie’ special on the new discoveries in Pompeii. TV’s most beloved popularizer took viewers through the wonders that have come to light from the latest excavation campaigns in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

During the episode Angela stops in front of a votive shrine which has a phallus erected in bas-relief and explains thatthe Romans, like all the ancients, were very superstitious (“they were a pre-scientific society”) and that the penis symbol was auspicious: “A symbol of prosperity that brings good.” The phallus was “a lightning rod against the evil eye what the Romans called the fascinus“. What could make you smile a lot, explains Angela, “has reached us: when we see a horn of red coral it is actually a miniature erect phallus. In the Middle Ages, in fact, they had been < strong>all references to the pleasures of the flesh have been banned and erect phalluses have been transformed into horns” for good luck.