What is graffiti? Why do people create graffiti?

Graffiti is ancient!
Graffiti is plural of the
Italian word graffito, which
means a single scribble or
scratch.
Why did people create graffiti back then?
Why did people create graffiti back then?
No cell phones, internet - and in most
cases, no paper!

Paper was invented around 100 CE (AD)

by the Chinese but wasn’t widely available
until the 18th century (1700s CE).

Need to leave a note? Write it on the wall!

What can we find out from ancient graffiti?
Graffiti is one of the ways we have to learn about the everyday concerns and daily
life of people who lived in the past. It’s like going back in time and overhearing
everyday conversations.
Pompeii circa
(during) the
Roman Empire
Pompeii was a
small seaside
town of about
10,000 people.

Mount Vesuvius
erupted in 79
AD.
Eyewitness: Pliny the Younger
Fires erupted from different points all over Mount Vesuvius, and the towering
flames gave off a light whose brightness and clarity contrasted with the shadows
of the night.

Buildings were being shaken by frequent and strong tremors, and they seemed to
move to and fro as if they had been shifted from their foundations. Outdoors, on
the other hand, people feared falling pumice (volcanic rock), even though it was
light and porous.

People tied cushions on their heads with pieces of sheet; this was their protection
against falling debris.
Mount
Vesuvius
*Pompeii stayed buried
for more than 1600
years!

*1748 AD - diggers
start to investigate

*1100 bodies found

and more than 13000
graffiti
Preserved graffiti
Graffito of Pompeian
gladiators. The “V” above the
figure on the left stands for
Vicit and indicates that M.
Attilius was the victor of the
fight. The fighter on the right
has lost the match and is
kneeling.
Preserved graffiti
This painting in a
Pompeiian house shows a
brawl that developed
outside an amphitheater
holding gladiator matches.
In the front, several
vendors have set up
temporary food stands.
The brawl was between
the Pompeians and their
neighbors, the Nucerians
in 59 CE (AD).
After the brawl...
The Roman Senate banned gladiator contests in
Pompeii for 10 years. The graffito to the right
shows a victorious Pompeian carrying a shield and
wearing a helmet. In contrast to the victory palm he
carries, the writing below sarcastically tells the
Pompeians that “with this victory, you’ve been
destroyed along with the Nucerians.”

Even though the Pompeians won the brawl, they

ultimately lost when gladiator matches were
banned in their city.
Common Graffiti Choices in Pompeii
GLADIATORS RECENT EVENTS (ex. Kicked out by
landlord; asked for drink of water)
________ WAS HERE & __________.
INSULTS

LOVE NOTES & POEMS “MAGIC SQUARES” (TYPE OF

RIDDLE)
QUOTES FROM POPULAR POETRY
(ex. AENEID)

CAMPAIGN SIGNS

KIDS PRACTICING THE ALPHABET

RELIGIOUS MESSAGES
ASSIGNMENT: Create an
artifact from ancient Pompeii:
graffiti! It may help to pretend that
you have time traveled to Pompeii
before the eruption of Vesuvius --
and have the opportunity to leave
graffiti behind!
Resources
Google Translate
Ancient Graffiti Project
BBC: Rediscovery of Pompeii
Deconstructing Pompeii
Video: 4 Sisters, All Named Dimitia
Video: A Teenage Boy in Ancient Rome
Would you really want to be a gladiator?
Video: Colosseum (Thanks for sharing, George!
)
Checklist for your graffiti:
❏ 1 pt Graffiti depicts a common topic (see
previous slide) - blank paper provided in
classroom
❏ Appropriate for middle school audience!
❏ 2 pts Realistic to time period (prior to 79 AD)
❏ 2 pts Includes artifact tag (see example
below) - index cards in classroom
❏ 1 pt Source -- cited on back of artifact tag
Name of Artifact
Date of Origin
Description - includes translation
Curator (your name)
Exhibit (Pompeiian Graffiti)