Graffiti From Pompeii - Neatorama

The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum is a behemoth publication spanning 17 volumes in about 70 parts that record about 180,000 Latin inscriptions from Roman times, ranging from official scripts to lowly graffiti hastily etched on the walls of toilets and brothels.

Graffiti from Pompeii has culled some of the juiciest morsels, showing us that, indeed, the art of graffiti is a lost one:

V.5 (just outside the Vesuvius gate); 6641: Defecator, may everything turn out okay so that you can leave this place
I.2.20 (Bar/Brothel of Innulus and Papilio); 3932: Weep, you girls. My penis has given you up. Now it penetrates men’s behinds. Goodbye, wondrous femininity!
VIII.2 (in the basilica); 1820: Chie, I hope your hemorrhoids rub together so much that they hurt worse than when they every have before!

Link - via Metafilter

Previously on Neatorama: 10 Insulting Words You Should Know

You'll be lucky to find the graffiti in Pompeii these days. Most inscriptions and such have long faded.

Fuzzy: visit Herculaneum and Oplontis too, if you can.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

What strikes me most amusing about ancient graffiti is how very similar the general contents and themes are to modern graffiti. We may have iPads, the internet, automobiles and so forth, but we're still writing the same sorts of things on the wall of the stall.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

This one caught my eye: "The one who buggers a fire burns his penis". I'll certainly bear that in mind from now on :)

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

I'm vising Pompeii in September! I'll have to take this list of graffiti so I can translate it for the other tourists. lol

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

I visited Pompeii with my HS Latin teacher and the whole class spent a couple of hours just translating graffiti. It was tons of fun and a highlight of my trip.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Pompeii is an amazing place and a must see for anyone visiting Naples or Sorrento.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

I remember this from a Greco-Roman archaeology class.

Also, phallus-signs throughout Mediterranean cities directed sailors to brothels. No literacy was needed.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Login to comment.

Click here to access all of this post's 7 comments

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.