Dionysus and his erect penis depicted on 2,500-year-old bone stylus found in Sicily

a dirt-covered bone tool shaped like a grumpy man with a phallus — Archaeologists uncovered a rare stylus depicting Dionysus and his erect phallus in the Sicilian city of Gela.

(Image credit: Superintendency of Caltanissetta/Sicilian Government)

Archaeologists in southern Sicily have uncovered an ancient bone tool depicting the god Dionysus and his erect phallus. The exquisite workmanship helps date the artifact to the fifth century B.C., when the island was a Greek colony.

"This stylus truly represents a unique example in the archaeological landscape of the time," Daniela Vullo, head of the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Caltanissetta, the municipality where the artifact was found, said in a translated statement.

Kristina Killgrove is a staff writer at Live Science with a focus on archaeology and paleoanthropology news. Her articles have also appeared in venues such as Forbes, Smithsonian, and Mental Floss. Kristina holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology and an M.A. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina, as well as a B.A. in Latin from the University of Virginia, and she was formerly a university professor and researcher. She has received awards from the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association for her science writing.