Hitching a Lift: Functional Context and Magical Symbolism in a Roman Linchpin from Wootton, North Lincolnshire

Abstract

ABSTRACTA unique linchpin depicting a human thumb, discovered in North Lincolnshire in the 1980s, is here reconsidered and particular emphasis is placed on its potential as an apotropaic symbol. This function is explored in terms of the wider material and literary basis for magical gestures in Roman Britain and the Roman world. The relationship between this image and the space in which it was used is also explored.