Room 17

Room 17 is a tiny room below a staircase in the House of the Charioteers. It is closed to the public, because on the plaster are countless graffiti - so many, that the immediate thought is that this must have been a latrine. However, the walls and floor do not show a single trace of such an installation. So what was the function of the room? The neighbouring understairs 16, where quite some plaster has been preserved as well, shows a few traces of graffiti at most. The graffiti have clearly deteriorated since the excavation in the late 1930's. A lot of plaster seems to have disappeared since the 1950's. In 1961 an initial publication appeared, by Matteo della Corte and Pius Ciprotti. Unfortunately it is very superficial and cannot be trusted. Hopefully our understanding of these graffiti will improve with Heikki Solin's forthcoming publication of the graffiti in Ostia (until that time the readings followed and proposed here should be approached with the greatest caution).

Attractive girls are mentioned: "Secunda is beautiful", "Ianuaria is frivolous" and has a lover, "Lucila is attractive". One boy, Mamius Salvius, is beautiful. One graffito goes into more detail about the amorous feelings: "Chrysis, you love Chryseros, but he loves Apella. Many greetings from Iustus Ianuarius". Future visitors are greeted: "Obellia to her ..., greetings", "Hi baby, ciao". One writer states that a girl makes love to a charioteer dressed in green in the circus. There were also some negative feelings: "Rufio dislikes Stephanus" (or the other way around). Another mentions "the conduct". A few obscenities are found.

Detail of some of the graffiti, with the word FORMOSA ("beautiful") in the centre.
Photo: Robert Harp.

Some of the texts become more serious: "May the beloved be remembered, may the writer be remembered". Rather special are: "In this way you do not do injustice" (perhaps to be read with a question mark at the end), "Lord, give safety from the persecutor", or "Give safety from the persecution of the master / mistress". One text seems to be about medicine and the plant ox-tongue that was used to treat bruises and abrasions, but also as a drug.

A few people commented on all the writing: "Every comer scrawls the walls with his graffiti, the only one who's written none is me". The lines are repeated elsewhere on the wall, with the addition: "Bugger all these scrawlers! My entreaty is to call them epitoechographs [writers on the wall] like me". These two are in Greek. A Latin one may be a similar comment: "He who wrote this ... below ...".

PANTEC PANTA EΠEΓPAΨAN AIΓΩ MΩNΩC OY ΔEN AIΓPAΨA	Every comer scrawls the walls with his graffiti The only one who's written none is me Photo: Robert Harp. Translation: John Rea.

A few partial dates are found, including the consular date 150 AD: M(arco) CAVIO SQUILLA GALLICANO | SEX(to) CARMINIO VETERE. Could the name Valerianus, read on another spot, be a reference to the Emperor (253-260 AD)?

It appears that some of the visitors were young, unmarried boys or men, and girls or women. They are literate, and wrote both Latin and Greek. The Greek alphabet is found twice, so perhaps Greek was being learned by some. The greetings show that they knew that friends or acquaintances would later also visit the room. Perhaps pupils of a school withdrew in this room to work on a written test. Better suggestions are welcome!

A corridor in the House of the Charioteers.
Photo: Wikimedia, Patrick Denker.

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