A closer look
When archaeologists finally excavated Pompeii and Herculaneum, they didn't just find preserved volcanic ash; they found an absolute mountain of filthy Roman erotica. It turns out ancient Romans put phallic symbols on everything from wind chimes to bakery ovens for good luck. In 1819, King Francis I of Naples visited the exhibition with his wife and daughter, turned beet red, and ordered all the dirty artifacts locked in a Secret Cabinet that could only be viewed by "mature men of high morals."
