"A dildo?" thought Maria. She woke up somewhat from a daydream.

"You may be surprised to see such an artefact," explained professor George. "But sexual desire is not an invention of the 20th or 21st century. Such devices have been popular with the fair sex for many, many years."

The object was made from solid pale marble, with a thick base and a smooth, polished surface. The head of the marble cock was circumcised and the length of the device was at least eight inches. "This is not to say that the length of the average male member has decreased over the centuries," he explained. "Rather, dildos and such devices have often been longer than the real thing."

Maria was fascinated. She couldn't help thinking about the object and wondering how and when it had been used. Perhaps, nearly 2000 years ago, a Roman wife had inserted it into her pussy while her husband was out at work....as a centurion, perhaps, or a gladiator? Maria wondered whether the dildo had been used by many different women, over the years. The thought made her a little giddy and confused.

The lecture was taking place in a vast hall with various marble statues along the walls and in the centre. Most of the statues were men, many without many clothes on, showing off their rippling torsos in various postures.

The professor was still on the subject of Romans and sex. "Of course, that civilisation was responsible for the word 'orgy'," he said. "As often as not, a Roman orgy was more about excessive eating and drinking than sex, thus the word 'vomitorium' - where over-indulgent people could bring up their dinner