May 14
Ancient Graffiti: Case Studies from Pompeii and Herculaneum
In the absence of Facebook or Twitter, inscribed graffiti were the social media of the ancient Roman world. From Pompeii and Herculaneum alone, we have approximately 11,000 messages preserved from individuals of all social classes, running the gamut from poetry to insults, names to drawings, and proclamations of sexual prowess to sage advice for healthy bowel movements. This rare class of documents therefore offers unique insights into the personal lives, social relationships, and literacy levels of Roman citizens, their slaves, and their children. This talk will discuss some of these insights by focusing on a pair of case studies from the Bay of Naples region: the House of Marcus Lucretius in Pompeii, and the ramp running along the outside of the city gates of Herculaneum.
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