ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD

PENIS-SHAPED BONE AND ANTINOUS BUST

AMONG METAL DETECTOR FINDS IN UK

AMATEURS using metal detectors in various parts of Britain over the past year have discovered a trove of Roman artifacts, including a bust possibly depicting Antinous, a silver and gold brooch of a leaping dolphin and a penis-shaped animal bone.

The wide array of art, found in a variety of locations by many amateur treasure hunters, dates back about 1,600 to 2,000 years, when the Romans ruled the island, according to a report in LIVESCIENCE.

The copper alloy bust of a bare-chested young man appears to be Antinous. Only two other examples are known from Britain. (Photo Courtesy: A. Daubney @ Lincolnshire County Council.)

The finds are among almost 25,000 Roman artifacts (the bulk of them coins) reported in England and Wales in 2011. 

They were documented as part of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and published recently in the journal Britannia.