Graffiti in Pompeii
Love notes, dirty jokes, and political smacktalk—Pompeii’s walls had it all.
Panini — "Interior of Saint Peter's, Rome" (after 1754), public domain
Pompeii’s Ancient Comment Section
Long before the internet, Romans scrawled their opinions on public walls. Archaeologists have found graffiti in nearly every district of Pompeii—some poetic, some crude, many deeply personal.
Confessions, Jokes, And Campaigns
Messages include love confessions, jokes, shopping lists, and even political slogans. One reads: “Theophilus, don’t perform oral sex on girls against the city wall like a dog.” Another: “If anyone does not believe in Venus, they should look at my girlfriend.”
Hundreds of graffiti inscriptions survive on walls in Pompeii, ranging from poetry to insults. They reveal what ordinary Romans thought was worth carving into history, from “Gaius loves Cornelia” to a plea for more wine at the tavern. Some are so risqué they’d make modern bathroom graffiti look tame.
