Very rude graffiti carved into Hadrian’s Wall by Romans – can you see it?
SMUT have the Romans ever done for us? — left rude graffiti by the looks of it.
Archaeologists dug up a slab of stone at Hadrian’s Wall with a 1,800-year-old willy on it.
Alongside the crude carving is the insult “secvndinvs cacor” which translates as “Secundinus, the sh*tter”.
Roman expert Dr Andrew Birley said: “Whoever carved it clearly had a big problem with Secundinus.
“I have no doubt Secundinus would have been less than amused.
“It shows something as childish as graffiti was going on back then.
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“Hopefully we will now find a response from Secundinus.”
The message was carved into a 16in by 6in stone under the floor of a former barracks at Vindolanda fort near Hexham, Northumberland.
The stone is thought to date from the 3rd Century, around 1,800 years ago — around the time depicted in 2000 Oscar-winning film Gladiator.
Dr Birley, head of excavations, said: “It’s not unusual to find a phallus as the Roman boys left these charms all over the place to be lucky.
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But for somebody to add a rude comment about another Roman soldier is rare.
“It probably would have been on display somewhere prominent like on a building. This is beyond banter.
"It reinforces the depth of feeling from the person who carved it that they really thought the other was a sh*t.”
Vindolanda pre-dated Hadrian’s Wall and was thought to be under Roman occupation from around 85 AD to 370 AD.
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It will take another 150 years to fully excavate the site.
The stone is now being cleaned in a lab and will be displayed at Vindolanda next year.