12 - Insula of the Phallic Vase

Built in the mid-1st century, in a block that already existed before the arrival of the Romans, the Insula of the Phallic Vase is a typical example of what most dwellings in Conimbriga would have been like. The insula was divided into five residential units, to which shops consisting of one or two rooms were attached. These shops opened onto the street through a wide door and must have had a fairly high ceiling, so that the upper part was built of wood, reserved for storage, similar to what is documented in the city of Rome itself. The residences established here combined housing, crafts, and other activities within their walls, as demonstrated by the room with a tank located near the western limit of the insula, which may have been the workroom of a laundry (fullonica). This house owes its name to the discovery of a ritual vase decorated with phallic motifs, intentionally buried there before the building's construction began, possibly to protect it (and its future inhabitants) from the evil eye. The piece is on display in the museum and is listed as a National Heritage Object.