mouth of truth rome
2021-01-20
Long before the modern lie detector and its harmlessly jittering graphs and wires were invented, the superstitious and untruthful faced a considerably more severe destiny between the jaws of the Bocca della Verità, or Mouth of Truth, an old carving which is said to nibble the hands off of liars. While nobody is actually sure when or why the frieze was created, there are various theories. The original purpose of the huge medallion has been theorized as everything from a stately well cover, to a bit of fountain decoration, to a sewer vent cover.