During ancient Roman times, when a Roman was asked to be a witness or to testify, he was required to touch his testicles and swear by them to tell the truth under penalty of sterility by their Roman gods. Sterility in many cultures, particularly during ancient Roman times, was a personal curse and socially embarrassing. In fact, it is said that on a Lupercal, an ancient Roman festival observed on February 13 through 15 to avert evil spirits and to purify the city, thereby releasing health and fertility, Julius Caesar instructed Marcus Antonius to touch even just slightly Caesar’s wife Calphurnia, who was watching the race during the festival, of which Marcus Antonius was a participant, as soon as the latter would pass her by and thereby hopefully by divine intervention cure the barrenness of Caesar’s wife.

Perhaps, this might also be the reason why women during those ancient Roman times were not allowed to testify or swear to tell the truth, much less did they have any civil rights, because they had no testicles.

Amay P. Ong Vaño
Cebu City, Philippines
epov111@yahoo.com

The evidence that it was used as a source of truth telling is Genesis 24:2-3 2 “And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and of the earth, that….

The fulfillment (or failure, the sencond part) of the oath means, according to Deuteronomy 33:11, “Bless, O LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries.” The Idea here being that the Loin as the seat of heredity, but also of the will. (The heart in the OT was the seat of reason).

There is also a strong connection to the Covenant, hence circumcision as this line from Jeremiah 30:6 suggests: “Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?” (Judah facing total destruction).

I am aware of it being a common practice in other ancient cultures also but I have no access now to quotes to demonstrate that.