.gif)
Graffito (archaeology)
Encyclopedia
A Graffito in an archaeological context, is a deliberate mark made by scratching or engraving on a large surface such as a wall. The marks may form an image or writing. The term is not usually used of the engraved decoration on small objects such as bones, which makes up a large part of the Art of the Upper Paleolithic
, but might be used of the engraved images, usually of animals, that are commonly found in caves, though much less well known than the cave painting
s of the same period; often the two are found in the same caves. In archaeology, the term may or may not include the more common modern sense of an "unauthorised" addition to a building or monument. A decorative technique of partially scratching off a top layer of plaster
or some other material to reveal a differently coloured material beneath is more usually known as sgraffito
.
was derived from inscriptions, literature, (Books of the Dead
), pharaonic historical records, and relief
s, both from temple statements, and numerous individual objects, pharaonic, or for the Egyptian citizenry. Twentieth century developments led to finding less common sources of the puzzle of information leading to the intricacies of the interrelationships of the pharaoh, his appointees, and the citizenry.
Three minor sources have helped link the major pieces of interrelationships in Ancient Egypt. Ostraca
, scarab artifact
s, and numerous temple, or quarry, etc., sources have helped fill in minor pieces of the complex dealings in Ancient Egypt. The reliefs, and writings with the reliefs, are often supplemented with a graffito, often in hieratic
, and discovered in locations not commonly seen, like a door jamb, hallway, entrance way, or the side or reverse of an object.
Very Late Egyptian Demotic was used only for ostraca
, mummy labels, subscriptions to Greek texts, and graffiti. The last dated example of Egyptian Demotic is from the Temple of Isis
at Philae
, dated to 11 December 452 CE. See Demotic "Egyptian".
graffito found at numerous sites throughout the Roman Empire (e.g. Pompeii
, Dura-Europos
) and elsewhere (United Kingdom
).
. The pilgrims were of a semi-educated class, and are responsible for some of these graffiti pieces.
during excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
, and nearly 850 of these were catalogued by Mabel Lang
in 1976. These include a variety of different types of graffiti, such as abecedaria
, kalos inscription
s, insults, marks of ownership, commercial notations, dedications, Christian inscriptions, messages, lists and pictures. They date from the eighth century BC through to the late Roman period.
. The examples below are from Saint Nicholas
, the parish church
of Blakeney
.
File:Blakeneyship3.gif|A ship graffito
File:Manuscript-capital.gif|Graffito with a decorated capital letter
File:Blakeneymasons-mark1.gif|A mason's mark
Art of the Upper Paleolithic
The art of the Upper Paleolithic is the oldest undisputed prehistoric art, originating in the Aurignacian archaeological culture of Europe and the Levant some 40,000 years ago, and continues to the Mesolithic about 12,000 years ago...
, but might be used of the engraved images, usually of animals, that are commonly found in caves, though much less well known than the cave painting
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
s of the same period; often the two are found in the same caves. In archaeology, the term may or may not include the more common modern sense of an "unauthorised" addition to a building or monument. A decorative technique of partially scratching off a top layer of plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
or some other material to reveal a differently coloured material beneath is more usually known as sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
.
Listings of graffito
Basic categories of graffiti in archaeology are:- Written graffiti, or informal inscriptions.
- Images in graffiti,
- OstracaOstraconAn ostracon is a piece of pottery , usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In archaeology, ostraca may contain scratched-in words or other forms of writing which may give clues as to the time when the piece was in use...
type graffiti, with pictures. - Complex, merged, or multiple category graffiti.
Ancient Egypt graffitos
The original history of Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
was derived from inscriptions, literature, (Books of the Dead
Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead is the modern name of an ancient Egyptian funerary text, used from the beginning of the New Kingdom to around 50 BC. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw is translated as "Book of Coming Forth by Day". Another translation would be "Book of...
), pharaonic historical records, and relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s, both from temple statements, and numerous individual objects, pharaonic, or for the Egyptian citizenry. Twentieth century developments led to finding less common sources of the puzzle of information leading to the intricacies of the interrelationships of the pharaoh, his appointees, and the citizenry.
Three minor sources have helped link the major pieces of interrelationships in Ancient Egypt. Ostraca
Ostracon
An ostracon is a piece of pottery , usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In archaeology, ostraca may contain scratched-in words or other forms of writing which may give clues as to the time when the piece was in use...
, scarab artifact
Scarab artifact
Scarabs were popular amulets in ancient Egypt. According to ancient Egyptian myths, the sun rolls across the sky each day and transforms bodies and souls. Modeled upon the Scarabaeidae family dung beetle, which rolls dung into a ball for the purposes of eating and laying eggs that are later...
s, and numerous temple, or quarry, etc., sources have helped fill in minor pieces of the complex dealings in Ancient Egypt. The reliefs, and writings with the reliefs, are often supplemented with a graffito, often in hieratic
Hieratic
Hieratic refers to a cursive writing system that was used in the provenance of the pharaohs in Egypt and Nubia that developed alongside the hieroglyphic system, to which it is intimately related...
, and discovered in locations not commonly seen, like a door jamb, hallway, entrance way, or the side or reverse of an object.
Late (Roman) Demotic graffito
Ostracon
An ostracon is a piece of pottery , usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In archaeology, ostraca may contain scratched-in words or other forms of writing which may give clues as to the time when the piece was in use...
, mummy labels, subscriptions to Greek texts, and graffiti. The last dated example of Egyptian Demotic is from the Temple of Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
at Philae
Philae
Philae is an island in the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt...
, dated to 11 December 452 CE. See Demotic "Egyptian".
Sator square
The Sator square is a LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
graffito found at numerous sites throughout the Roman Empire (e.g. Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
, Dura-Europos
Dura-Europos
Dura-Europos , also spelled Dura-Europus, was a Hellenistic, Parthian and Roman border city built on an escarpment 90 m above the right bank of the Euphrates river. It is located near the village of Salhiyé, in today's Syria....
) and elsewhere (United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
).
Deir el-Bahri religious graffiti
Because of pilgrims, to religious sites, there are ample examples of the Graffito (archaeology) at the Egyptian site of Deir el-BahriDeir el-Bahri
Deir el-Bahari or Deir el-Bahri is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt....
. The pilgrims were of a semi-educated class, and are responsible for some of these graffiti pieces.
Graffiti in ancient Athens
Large quantities of graffiti have been found in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
during excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is one of 17 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:...
, and nearly 850 of these were catalogued by Mabel Lang
Mabel Lang
Mabel Louise Lang was an American archaeologist and scholar of Classical Greek and Mycenaean culture. She served on the faculty of Bryn Mawr College until 1991 and was professor emerita there until her death...
in 1976. These include a variety of different types of graffiti, such as abecedaria
Abecedarium
An abecedarium is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria are practice exercises....
, kalos inscription
Kalos inscription
The Kalos inscription was a form of epigraph found on Attic vases and graffiti in antiquity, common between 550 and 450 BC, and usually found on symposion vessels. The word καλός means "beautiful"; here it had an erotic connotation, and the inscription took the form of a youth's name, in the...
s, insults, marks of ownership, commercial notations, dedications, Christian inscriptions, messages, lists and pictures. They date from the eighth century BC through to the late Roman period.
Medieval church graffiti
Graffiti dating from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries has recently been studied in NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The examples below are from Saint Nicholas
St Nicholas, Blakeney
St Nicholas is the Anglican parish church of Blakeney, Norfolk in the deanery of Holt and the Diocese of Norwich. It stands just inland of and about 30 m above the small port. Of the original 13th-century building only the chancel remains, the rest having been rebuilt in the prosperous 15th...
, the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Blakeney
Blakeney, Norfolk
Blakeney is a coastal village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfolk Coastal Path passes through the village...
.
File:Blakeneyship3.gif|A ship graffito
File:Manuscript-capital.gif|Graffito with a decorated capital letter
File:Blakeneymasons-mark1.gif|A mason's mark
Further reading
- Ceram, C.W.C. W. CeramC. W. Ceram was the pseudonym of German journalist and author Kurt Wilhelm Marek, known for his popular works about archaeology. He chose to write under a pseudonym to distance himself from his earlier work as a propagandist for the Third Reich.Ceram was born in Berlin. During World War II, he...
The March of Archaeology, C.W.Ceram, translated from the German, Richard and Clara Winston, (Alfred A. Knopf, New York), c 1958.
External links
- Sator Square, inscribed, Article; the article uses: "Rotas square"
