Reminds me a bit of this sign painted on a wall in Pompeii:
Image of a gladiatorial scene:
![Image]()
Image of another gladiator scene:
![Image]()
Since they didn't have TV or radio for their sports statistics and game summaries, folks took it upon themselves to promote their favorite athletes, which in those days were Gladiators (more like modern mixed martial arts or "professional wrestling," to act out battles between types, not for witnessing grisly deaths - unless the right price is offered). The graffiti writer gave statistics of wins & losses on any wall that was available, usually using pieces charcoal. Despite being washed away after a season, the walls were covered with them, meaning that each year the messages evolved. The paid-for ads were another matter. They were painted in color, and many streets seem to be lined with closely spaced shops so these are better written, to distinguish "To find Asiaticus' Posca shop (Pompeii location), turn left at corner."
If what we are talking about here are common graffiti, they could say anything. Folks proclaim the unrequited love for this or that slave, others mock those persons for obsessing about someone who has paid no attention to them in real life. They loved caricatures of apparently well positioned local elites, often giving them super big noses like Dr Flutesnoot (Astro Boy TV cartoons from 1960s) or some of the characters in Doonsbury newspaper cartoons (always).
Could someone being mentioned, whether gladiator performer or love sick slave, have been named or at least given a promotional name resembling Christos (anointed victor) or Chrestus (good performer), I think is possible.
DCH
Image of a gladiatorial scene:
Image of another gladiator scene:
Since they didn't have TV or radio for their sports statistics and game summaries, folks took it upon themselves to promote their favorite athletes, which in those days were Gladiators (more like modern mixed martial arts or "professional wrestling," to act out battles between types, not for witnessing grisly deaths - unless the right price is offered). The graffiti writer gave statistics of wins & losses on any wall that was available, usually using pieces charcoal. Despite being washed away after a season, the walls were covered with them, meaning that each year the messages evolved. The paid-for ads were another matter. They were painted in color, and many streets seem to be lined with closely spaced shops so these are better written, to distinguish "To find Asiaticus' Posca shop (Pompeii location), turn left at corner."
If what we are talking about here are common graffiti, they could say anything. Folks proclaim the unrequited love for this or that slave, others mock those persons for obsessing about someone who has paid no attention to them in real life. They loved caricatures of apparently well positioned local elites, often giving them super big noses like Dr Flutesnoot (Astro Boy TV cartoons from 1960s) or some of the characters in Doonsbury newspaper cartoons (always).
Could someone being mentioned, whether gladiator performer or love sick slave, have been named or at least given a promotional name resembling Christos (anointed victor) or Chrestus (good performer), I think is possible.
DCH
Statistics: Posted by DCHindley — Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:55 pm