Mysterious wind chime discovered in Serbia

Eastern Serbia has witnessed an archaeological discovery - a Roman windbell known as a tintinnabulum, equipped with a prominent phallus.

It is believed that tintinnabulums were created to catch the wind, presumably so that their noise and unusual appearance would frighten evil spirits and ward off the evil eye , which was extremely dangerous in antiquity. Such objects, hung at the entrances of houses and shops, were considered magical protection for the premises.

The Tintinnabulum is made of bronze , but is currently being kept in the ground until it can be fully restored. Therefore, the exact configuration of the artifact is still unknown.

"From what can be seen... it had four bells and a chain from which it hung," said archaeologist Ilija Dankovic of the Institute of Archeology in Belgrade.

Archaeologists believe that the discovery of this object indicates that the social elites of the provincial city shared the same beliefs as the people in the heartland of the Roman Empire , and had the means to purchase imported objects.

Source: livescience.com