Largest Collection of Ancient Graffiti Ever Found in Pompeii. Some Are Hysterically Funny (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Terry Madenholm
Publication: Haaretz Newspaper
Date: 11/30/2021
Abstract: The ancient Roman town of Pompeii has been under excavation since the 18th century, yet about one-third of the town remains unexplored. That means more archaeological discoveries will be made – among them, evidently, graffiti. A lot of it.
Pompeian walls have become a laboratory of archaeological investigation, reconstructing some of the most intimate moments from the lives of its inhabitants up to the 1st century C.E.. More than 11,000 wall writings have been revealed in the ruins, making it the largest collection of wall writings ever discovered.
The team of researchers under the auspices of the Ancient Graffiti Project, run by Dr. Rebecca Benefiel of Washington and Lee University in Virginia has developed the first digital database of graffiti finds in Pompeii and Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Smyrna in the modern-day Turkey.
URL: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/largest-collection-of-ancient-graffiti-ever-found-in-pompeii-some-are-hysterically-funny-1.10408749
Pompeii's recent finds reveal new clues to city's destruction (Media Coverage)
Author(s): RUBÉN MONTOYA
Publication: National Geographic
Date: 7/27/2020
Abstract: Since its discovery several centuries ago, few archaeological sites have fascinated the world as has the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. After the first major excavations in more than 50 years, Pompeii is revealing a surprising abundance of buried treasures. The new finds are coming from intensive work in a small sector known as Region V that has nevertheless yielded giant insights into the final days of the doomed city.
Along with the complete excavation of two houses—the House of the Garden and the House of Orion—the dig has yielded frescoes, murals, and mosaics of mythological figures in gorgeous colours, skeletons with stories still to be unravelled, coins, amulets, and show horses in the stable of a wealthy landowner.
The new finds are also sparking debate about Pompeii’s tragic story. Just before Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79 and buried the city under a mantle of ash and rock, a local worker scrawled an inscription on a wall. Along with a joke (roughly translated as “he ate too mu
URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2020/07/pompeiis-most-recent-finds-reveal-new-clues-to-citys-destruction
Des graffitis pour comprendre l'histoire de Pompéi (Media Coverage)
Author(s): JULIETTE DE GUYENRO
Publication: Geo (French magazine)
Date: 7/15/2019
Abstract: A short publication on the importance of studying the ancient graffiti to understand the history of Pompeii. Letters, words, and names on the walls of the ancient town of Pompeii recount the history of the city. Certain inscriptions promote political candidates or gladiatorial competitions. Other, more personal messages were written by the city's residents to each other.
URL: https://www.geo.fr/histoire/des-graffitis-pour-comprendre-lhistoire-de-pompei-196578
Digging Deeper into Pompeii’s Past (Media Coverage)
Author(s): BENJAMIN LEONARD
Publication: Archaeology Magazine
Date: 6/10/2019
Abstract: The featured article of the issue showcased current projects studying ancient Pompeii and included several sections, among which was "Communication", which is where our Ancient Graffiti Project was features.
URL: https://www.archaeology.org/issues/344-1907/features/7722-communication
Pompeii’de Bulunan Grafitiler, Sosyal Hayatı Günümüze Taşıyor (Media Coverage)
Author(s):
Publication: Arkeofili
Date: 12/10/2021
Abstract: A Turkish translation of the article published in the newspaper Haaretz.
URL: https://arkeofili.com/pompeiide-bulunan-grafitiler-sosyal-hayati-gunumuze-tasiyor/
One of Pompeii’s Greatest Mysteries May Have Been Solved (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Candida Moss
Publication: The Daily Beast
Date: 2/13/2022
Abstract: The graffiti were written in an obscure form of Old Arabic otherwise completely unknown in the Western Mediterranean. For almost 35 years they were a mystery: Who wrote them?
URL: https://www.thedailybeast.com/one-of-pompeiis-greatest-mysteries-may-have-been-solved
The graffiti were written in an obscure form of Old Arabic otherwise completely unknown in the Western Mediterranean. For almost 35 years they were a mystery: Who wrote them? (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Candida Moss
Publication: The Daily Beast
Date: 2/13/2022
Abstract: The online article examines the reasons for the scant attention given to Arabic graffiti found in Pompeii, and the socio-political significance at the time for the graffiti.
URL: https://www.thedailybeast.com/one-of-pompeiis-greatest-mysteries-may-have-been-solved