Graffiti - Introduction

Graffiti were recorded in Ostia for the first time in the late 19th century. They were published in the Corpus Insciptionum Latinarum, volume XIV. Some more graffiti were noted in the first decades of the 20th century and published in the supplement of CIL XIV. Many showed up during the 1938-1942 excavations, but these were never collected and published. In 1961 a list of some graffiti was published by Matteo della Corte and Pius Ciprotti. The quality is below standard. Little or no attention is paid to the place of discovery, and the readings are sometimes sloppy. Later, Heikki Solin published quite a few graffiti, spread out over various articles. A long time ago he announced the publication of the Ostian graffiti in a volume of Scavi di Ostia, but until the present day it has not seen the light. Single or small groups of graffiti were published now and then by other authors. Graffiti-drawings were published by Martin Langner in 2001.

At the end of the 20th century an interested layman, Eric Taylor from Worcester in the United Kingdom, decided to scan all of the accessible plaster for graffiti. He did so during countless visits of the site. Working on his own, without professional equipment (at the start analogue), he registered the location of countless graffiti. Together with Jan Theo Bakker they were linked to what had been published, and if possible a tentative reading was proposed.

In the 2010's, when Eric Taylor had called it a day, a group of other people started retracing some of his steps: Francis Brenders, Philipp Markus Schmitt, Mary-Jane Cuyler, Robert Grady Harp and Jan Theo Bakker. Their main aim was to verify the location of the graffiti and, especially, to take digital photos. The work was still done with limited equipment and means, without any funding. It was a further step, but certainly not the final step. Of great importance will be the publication of the graffiti by prof. Heikki Solin in the series Scavi di Ostia.

Most of the Ostian graffiti were written in the second and third century AD. They are found on plaster, bricks, and stone. There are modern graffiti too, of course, unfortunately. The present collection is an overview of what has been published so far and of many unpublished graffiti, with the addition of many photographs and occasional suggestions for the interpretation. It is far removed from a true publication.

Eric Taylor at work. Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.