The accidental preservation of this highly perishable evidence of everyday life has done much to fill out our understanding of Roman civilization. The volcanic flows which destroyed these cities paradoxically also preserved many fragile items that would otherwise have been lost, such as wooden objects, papyrus scrolls, wall paintings, and even the graffiti on the walls. The devastated areas included the prosperous cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were entombed beneath a blanket of volcanic ash over four meters thick. Over the next several days, material spewed from Vesuvius, covering surrounding regions under a thick layer of pumice. According to the eyewitness account of Pliny the Younger, who survived the eruption, a massive dirty-white, tree-shaped cloud rose above the mountain while lava flowed from its sides. However, in the early afternoon of August 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted. During the sweltering summer, many wealthy ancient Romans escaped the city of Rome and moved to luxurious villas along the Bay of Naples, where the cool sea breeze provided relief from the heat. Throughout history, Italians have been drawn to the scenic beauty of the Bay of Naples, whose curving shore is given a majestic backdrop by the tall cone of Mount Vesuvius. (Image: Romas_Photo/Shutterstock) The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius covered Pompeii in a four meter thick blanket of volcanic ash. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The remnants of the ancient city of Pompeii, with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Hence, it’s incredible that an entire body of graffiti has improbably survived from the Roman era, and with it gave voice to the ordinary Roman. It is exposed to the elements, is often defaced or written over by later or rival artists, and the walls or surfaces on which graffiti is scribbled are typically actively sought out and erased or painted over by the annoying figures of authority. Aldrete, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Green Bay Graffiti is ephemeral in nature. Other similar electoral messages with the same two candidates' names were found along Via del Foro.By Gregory S. We come across the latter, who was elected in 71 A.D., again in 75 A.D. Originally part of a wall along "a street which led from the gate towards the town", that is to say Via Consolare, the plasterwork features an exhortation to vote for two candidates for aedile, M. Many refer to the entertainments on offer in the city or are in praise of the champions put to the test in the gladiatorial games. In addition there are several which are concerned with the buying and selling of materials or livestock and the calculation of merchandise. The graffiti, on the other hand, are the messages which were made by scratching on the walls of the houses: these relate to the most disparate subjects and paint an extremely vivid and frank picture of contemporary social life: they include risque jokes, comments on a particular person or event, caricatures of famous people, reflections on love, as well as appreciative remarks about a beautiful woman or the pleasure experienced in the privacy of one of the rooms in the brothel. There are around three thousand electoral inscriptions in Pompeii and most of them can be dated to the city's final year of existence, given that it was customary to rub out the old inscriptions to make way for new ones.
#Pompeii graffiti professional#
They were executed by the professional scribes who also dealt with official communications, the sentences of the tribunal, the buying and selling of slaves and public decisions. They are written in red or in black and for the most part in capital letters. At other times an aspiring magistrate puts himself forward to the people for a particular office. At times an entire category of workers (goldsmiths, marble-cutters, bakers, blacksmiths) holds the candidacy. The walls of the houses in Pompeii are frequently covered with inscriptions: these are electoral propaganda messages which urge the citizens to vote for one or other of the candidates.
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