Greco-Egyptian Glass Phallic Amulet, Ptolemaic, c. 305-30 BC
In Greek mythology Priapus is a god of fertility whose symbol was an exaggerated phallus. The son of Aphrodite and either Dionysus or Adonis, according to different forms of the original myth, he is the protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens, and male genitalia. His name is the origin of the medical term priapism.
The phallus played a role in the cult of Osiris in ancient Egyptian religion as well. When Osiris’ body was cut in 14 pieces, Set scattered them all over Egypt and his wife Isis retrieved all of them except one, his penis, which was swallowed by a fish; supposedly, Isis made a wooden replacement. The phallus was a symbol of fertility, and the god Min was often depicted as ithyphallic, that is, with an erect penis.
