# PA from ancient Rome **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 29, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267 "2000-08-29T23:11:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chadg033](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@chadg033](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chadg033)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/1 "2000-08-29T23:11:03Z")
I have recently recieved a Prince Albert, and was interested in knowing a little background if anyone is interested. I had heard that it was named after the prince that originally had one, but it was also used by Roman soldiers. I had heard that it was pierced to the leg to keep it out of the way when the romans went into battle. If anyone else out there has any other relative information, I would love to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/2 "2000-08-30T02:36:27Z")
Pardon my ignorance, but I don’t even know what a Prince Albert is. It’s unlikely that I’ll be able to help with your question, but could you enlighten me anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/3 "2000-08-30T02:47:39Z")
It’s a (get ready for it) penis piercing. It consists of a ring which goes in the end of the urethra and out through a hole pierced in the underside of the penis just behind the glans. How’s that? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/4 "2000-08-30T03:21:54Z")
It’s an UL that Prince Albert had one so he could dress tidily BTW. Check out snopes. IIRC the Roman connection is another UL. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/5 "2000-08-30T03:42:11Z")
I should think it’s a UL. Prince Albert was a terrible prude. _Although he and Victoria did have a pretty wild sex life…_ ---
**Author:** ![chadg033](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@chadg033](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chadg033)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/6 "2000-08-30T03:49:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dijon Warlock \* > \*\*It’s a (get ready for it) penis piercing. It consists of a ring which goes in the end of the urethra and out through a hole pierced in the underside of the penis just behind the glans. > > How’s that? 🙂 \*\* It’s actually quite usefull, the ladies really love it. however, you will have to learn to lean a bit closer to the head when you have to go, as the ring makes you drip a little bit. I should make a post on the sex!!! thread for something I did with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/7 "2000-08-30T03:51:22Z")
I’ve never heard the Roman connexion, but supposedly men living in the time of Prince Albert _did_ get these, and thus it was named after him. The fashion was at that time for men to wear rather tight trousers (flashbacks of Leggy Mountbatten’s wife here), and the ring allowed them to hook the member off to one side, so as to minimise the contour. Don’t know what they did upon meeting a fetching lass, however. Done lots of wincing, I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/8 "2000-08-30T04:46:36Z")
You better let him out. (I killed 'em with that one in Peoria.) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/9 "2000-08-30T14:15:49Z")
The Iban of Borneo practice penis piercing among their bod-mod. They insert brass dumbbell-shaped “penis pins” through the hole pierced just back of the glans. These penis pins are reputed to give more pleasure to the Iban women during sex, and it is said they will not admit any man to their bed who is not wearing the penis pin. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/10 "2000-08-30T15:51:35Z")
Prince Albert in a can? That would mean rear entry, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2000, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-from-ancient-rome/31267/11 "2000-08-31T08:32:35Z")
there was some discussion of this a while ago: [But seriously now. The pieced penis question.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14126) [Warning - this thread has a link to a fairly graphic site.]