Spintria - money or a joke?
Apart from the regular coins as means of payment additionally there were other coupons, that are interpreted as benchmarks (e.g. for bread or cereal), entrance stamps or tiddlywinks and called Tessarae. The had like normal coins mostly a portrait of the emperor Tiberius on there front and a declaration of value in roman digits on their back.
A special group of Tesserae are the Spintriae (lat. ‚rent boy‘), which instead of the emperor’s head showed erotic scenes, a phallus or other suggestive motives. Until now there are known 15 different motives and declarations of value in the area of I to XVI.
In the scientific research those coins mostly are interpreted as entrance stamps or ‚coupons‘ for visits to brothels, but as well different uses are possible.
In contrast to the original our copies have a pendant’s eye for wearing it as a necklace.
In the case of this coin a couple in an oral position during the sexual act is shown.
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