ABSTRACT
We might be tempted to imagine an unbroken connection between ancient wall-inscriptions and contemporary graffi ti. The electoral programmata of Pompeii recall our own political campaign posters, and we can accept graffi ti left by travellers on the wall of an inn or tavern easily enough. But what about the signifi cant numbers of ancient graffi ti that are found even within private homes? There, it is clear that the underlying biases of modern experience will misdirect us.1 Even the modern signifi cance of the word ‘graffi ti’ embraces basic premises that may not apply to their ancient counterparts, such as that they are written by marginalised elements of society or that they are destructive in nature. In this chapter I use the term ‘graffi ti’ in its formal sense: writings or drawings that have been incised into a surface.2
