For all the trivia lovers out there, one tidbit of information that may be of interest is the convenient name given to the pottery quarter and ceramics district in ancient Athens. Fittingly, the ceramics workers and potters carried out their craft in a zone called the Ceramicus. In addition to the goods that were produced there, the Ceramicus also apparently had a reputation for being a place with walls that were frequently vandalized with graffiti. An ancient satirist named Lucian of Samosata (c. 120-180+) made reference to the plentiful scribbles on the Ceramicus’ walls. Characters in Lucian’s comedic dialogues mention reading graffiti, or writing some words of their own onto the region’s often-abused walls. One character from Lucian’s dialogues states, “read what’s written on the walls in the Ceramicus, where your names are inscribed together on a stone” (Chattering Courtesans 4). Another character says, “I think I’ll write up on the wall in the Ceramicus” and when asked how they would accomplish this goal without being spotted, the character explains, “When it’s dark, Drosis: I’ll find a piece of charcoal” (Chattering Courtesans 10). As can be seen, Lucian enjoyed using mischievous scribbles on the walls of the Ceramicus as a catalyst to spark drama and tension among the characters of his dialogues. Suffice it to say, graffiti is not a recent problem, and many an archeological site has uncovered mischievous messages and drawings left behind by the ancients.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Roman marble relief showing transport amphorae, c. 2nd century, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the MET).
Sources:
- Lucian, Selected Dialogues, translated by C. D. N. Costa. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World Classics), 2005, 2006, 2009.
