Ancient Pompeii’s Hidden Messages, Preserved in Graffiti | Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons | TED

TL;DR

This content explores the ancient graffiti found in Pompeii, revealing the thoughts and lives of ordinary Romans and what it can teach us about ourselves.

Transcript

On Saturday, August 2, at around 9:30pm, Iuvenilla was born. While I do have a daughter, her name isn’t Iuvenilla, and she wasn't born on August 2. This was a graffito, a message written by a proud papa or a proud mama, on the walls of ancient Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago. And while we might send a birth announcement or take to social media, this... Read More

Key Insights

• 🏛️ Graffiti in ancient Pompeii, preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, provide insight into the thoughts and lives of ordinary Romans from 2,000 years ago.
• 📜 Ancient graffiti were welcome and appear in a variety of spaces, including temples, tombs, bars, and homes. They were typically scratched into the wall plaster using a stylus or nail.
• 🚸 The graffiti include messages from a wide variety of people, including women and the enslaved, offering valuable evidence for those marginalized in the literary record.
• 💬 The content of the graffiti ranged from birth announcements and greetings to declarations of love and observations about daily life.
• 🎨 Some graffiti were accompanied by drawings, representing the urge to doodle as a feature of the human spirit.
• 🔢 Graffiti were often used as a means of communication, similar to social media or wall posts today, due to the lack of inexpensive writing tools like paper.
• ✍️ The style of writing in graffiti varied, with some examples showcasing elegant Roman cursive, while others used capital letters to grab attention.
• 🧠 By studying Roman graffiti, we can learn more about what makes us human and gain insight into the lives and thoughts of people in antiquity.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the purpose of the graffiti found in Pompeii?

The graffiti in Pompeii served as a way for people to communicate with each other, record observations, and leave messages in the absence of inexpensive writing tools like paper. They were a form of social media or wall posts, similar to today's tweets or Snapchat.

Q: How did the Pompeiians write their graffiti?

The Pompeiians typically scratched their graffiti into the wall plaster using a sharp instrument like a stylus or a nail. The word "graffiti" comes from the Italian word meaning "scratched," coined by 19th century archaeologists when they encountered the scratched graffiti of Pompeii.

Q: Who were the main authors of the graffiti in Pompeii?

The graffiti in Pompeii were written by a wide variety of people, including those who were marginalized from the literary record, such as women and the enslaved. They provided valuable evidence for the thoughts and words of ordinary Romans who may not have been represented in other historical records.

Q: What did the graffiti tell us about the lives of the Romans?

The graffiti allowed us to gain insights into the thoughts, actions, and daily lives of ordinary Romans. They provided a glimpse into what made them human, showcasing their emotions, desires, and experiences. Through studying Roman graffiti, we can learn a lot about ourselves and our shared humanity.

Q: How did the Pompeiians write graffiti elegantly?

The Pompeiians valued writing graffiti beautifully. While some graffiti were hastily scratched, others were written with flourish and elegance. For example, they accentuated their messages with boxes or branches, used Roman cursive with large flourishes and elegant letter forms, or even drew elaborate drawings alongside their writings. Writing beautifully on the walls was a way for them to express themselves and leave a lasting impression.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Graffiti was common in ancient Pompeii, where people would write messages and draw pictures on walls to share news and communicate with others.

• Ancient graffiti provide valuable insights into the lives and thoughts of ordinary Romans, including marginalized groups like women and enslaved individuals.

• The graffiti in Pompeii were written in a variety of styles, using different materials such as charcoal and chalk, and often displayed creativity and playfulness.