ABSTRACT
This chapter discuses the relationship between art, architecture and non-official inscriptions in the ancient world. Artisans, the craftspeople who create useful objects such as pottery, furniture and tools, often decorate their products to make them unique and more attractive. It is within this context that graffiti in antiquity reflect aspects of ancient art and architecture. Whether Egypt or Greece or Rome, the production of any artefact building, sculpture or painting is dependent on both manual skill and technical knowledge. In Egypt, the greatest density of drawings engraved into rock surfaces can be found in the southern regions, extending down into Nubia. Pictorial graffiti found in the Athenian Agora date from the late eighth to early seventh century BCE until the late Roman period. The Athenian graffiti would most likely reflect the work of resident Greek artists and potters and their apprentices. Constructed in the late second, the Bouleuterion at Aphrodisias was intended as a meeting place for the city council.
