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A Roman millstone found near Cambridge was decorated with the engraving of a penis, an “image of strength and virility”, archaeologists have revealed.

The millstone and other pieces were discovered three years ago during roadworks to improve a 21-mile stretch of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

The finds come from the remains of a Roman villa located near the town of Godmanchester, a Highways England spokesperson told MailOnline.

However, the phallographic carving, which was made to give good luck and protection to the millstone and its flour, was recently identified by experts.

The improved stretch of road opened to traffic in May last year, but the millstone was not the only archaeological find revealed before the work was completed.

Other finds included the tusk of a woolly mammoth, the skull of a woolly rhinoceros, an abandoned medieval village and three dismembered men from 1,500 years ago.

Archaeologists also found the oldest known evidence of beer brewing in Britain, dating back to 400 BC.

According to Highways England’s Head of Archeology for the A14, Steve Sherlock, the penis-decorated millstone is important as it “adds to the evidence for this type of imagery from Roman Britain”.

“There were known associations between images of the phallus and the windmill, such as those found above the bakeries in Pompeii, one of which has the inscription Hic Habitat Felicitas: ‘Here you will find happiness,'” he explained.

“The phallus was seen as an important image of strength and virility in the Roman world, and it was common practice for legionaries to wear a phallus amulet, which would give them good luck before battle.”

The millstone and other pieces were discovered three years ago during roadworks to improve a 21-mile stretch of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon. In the photo, the excavation site.

The millstone was examined by experts from London’s Headland Museum of Infrastructure Archeology and Oxford Archaeology.

Next to the phallus carved into the upper face of the millstone, the team discovered two crosses inscribed on its circumference.

The mill itself would have been a simple hand mill, such as normally consists of two circular stones between which corn is ground.

According to archaeologists, the millstone appeared to have been broken during use and subsequently adapted for use as a saddle mill (base stone in the grinding process), which would have hidden the genital image from view.

The millstone was examined by experts from London’s Headland Museum of Infrastructure Archeology and Oxford Archaeology. Next to the phallus carved into the upper face of the millstone, the team discovered two crosses inscribed on its circumference. In the photo, Oxford archeology expert Ruth Shaffrey poses with the millstone containing the phallus.

Researchers reported that more than 300 millstones were recovered during archaeological work on the A14 improvement project.

Decorated mills and millstones of any date are rare, and only four Roman millstones have been discovered out of a total of around 20,000 in the entire country.

While crosses on these types of stones are more common, they tend to be found only at military sites, the team explained.

“As one of only four known examples of Romano-British millstones decorated in this way, millstone A14 is a highly significant find,” said Ruth Shaffrey, worked stone specialist at Oxford Archaeology.

“It offers information about the importance of the mill to the local community and about the protective properties given to the millstone and its product (flour) through the representation of a phallus on its upper surface.”

The improved stretch of road (pictured) opened in May last year, but the millstone was not the only archaeological find revealed before the work was completed. Other finds included the tusk of a woolly mammoth, the skull of a woolly rhinoceros, an abandoned medieval village and three dismembered men from 1,500 years ago. Archaeologists also found the oldest known evidence of beer brewing in Britain, dating back to 400 BC.

The millstone was discovered three years ago during roadworks to improve a 21-mile stretch of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon. The finds come from the remains of a Roman villa located near Godmanchester, a Highways England spokesperson told MailOnline.