![]() ![]() ![]() Notices could make ironic recommendations designed to put people off, as in the case of a candidate called Vatia whose election campaign was probably well and truly scuppered by signs saying “ The little thieves ask for Vatia as aedile.”Įlection notices also give us information about how often elections took place in Pompeii. A famous example of such election graffiti can be found on the wall of Asellina’s Tavern.Įlection graffiti also worked against candidates. As above, these notices often named the qualities that they believed qualified the candidate for office. Crucially they always included the candidate and the office. Often, they named the politician’s supporter. There were over 2,800 examples of “election graffiti” painted on the walls of buildings around Pompeii. These same politicians would commission election notices like the one quoted above. Some of the public games and plays staged in Pompeii were paid for by prospective local politicians as part of their election campaigns. “I ask you to elect Claudius Versus duumvir with judicial power, an honest young man.” Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. So too were popular actors such as “ Paris, pearl of the stage” who was celebrated on street walls and tombs across the town.Īsellina’s Tavern Election Poster. One belonged to Actius Anicetus, whose name is found in graffiti in various places around Pompeii. Many touring troops of actors played in Pompeii’s theatre. The games were perhaps the most popular form of popular entertainment. Written by specialised signwriters, these notices tell who owned or was paying for the gladiators, what the programme would involve, when they would take place (and where) and any additional attractions for the spectator’s comfort. The example quoted is a typical example of graffiti advertising a fight. Graffiti tells us that not every loser was killed and many lived to fight another day. They also provide us with evidence about the losers of the games. They mention the successes and failures of the fighters, as well as their popularity. Graffiti about gladiators and gladiator fights were found all over the city of Pompeii. There will be a hunt and awnings” ( From a wall of the Eumachia Building, Via dell Abbondanza, Pompeii) “The gladiatorial troop of Aulus Suettius Certus, aedile, will fight at Pompeii on the 31 May. Wikimedia Commons.Public Domain Gladiators and Actors One householder at least wanted to commemorate the event. Spartacus and his rebels were at one time encamped nearby on the slopes of Vesuvius. One of the men is named “Spartacus” in Oscan. Within the entrance of one house is a picture of two mounted men fighting two others on foot. The Salt Gate, for instance, is the original name for the Herculaneum Gate.Ĭasual scribblers also recorded historical events on Pompeii’s walls. We also indirectly learn about the original names for parts of the city. The graffiti details mustering points for citizens in times of attack. POMPEII GRAFFITI SERIESThe graffiti quoted above is part of a series of messages written at strategic points around the town at the time of the Social War during the first century BC when Pompeii was at war with Rome. Other graffiti had a more serious purpose. “ Go by this route between the twelfth tower and the salt gate, where Marcus Atrius, son of Vibius, gives instructions.” One disgruntled householder wrote a warning on his wall to any would-be scribblers warning “ whoever writes anything here let him rot and be nameless.” War and Conflict Graffiti even dealt with the subject of the irritation of graffiti itself. “If anyone sits here, let him read this first of all: if anyone wants a fuck, he should look for Attice - costs four sesterces.” The piece below was inscribed above a seat outside the Marine Gate: Grafitti was also used to recommend prostitutes, telling interested parties how much they cost and what they offered. ![]()
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