Gladiatorial Graffiti in Pompeii

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Gladiatorial Graffiti in Pompeii

• James M. Lohmar
• University of Florida
• Gainesville, FL
• jmlohmar_at_ufl.edu

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Pompeii

• Vesuvius erupts on August 24, 79 AD
• Pliny the Younger's letter to Tacitus
• One day frozen in time
• Valuable resource for classicists

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Latin Graffiti

• Sometimes painted, sometimes etched into plaster
  walls
• This one to the right is a caricature of the
  house dominus

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Latin Graffiti

• Tombs on either side of road as you approach city
• Prime place for graffiti
• heavy traffic
• All letters written in capitals
• u and v are both denoted by capital V
• e.g. NVCERIA for Nuceria
• A most often written as ?
• Principle of Economy
• abbreviations preferred least amount of space
  for
• maximum amount of information
• Interpuncts for word separation
• Mutual dependence of text and image

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The Nuceria Gate Graffiti

• Gate to Nuceria
• Walls of tombs
• contain graffiti
• House of Ceii

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The Nuceria Gate Graffiti

• Basic Rubric
• Gladiator Name
• Roman Numeral
• Backward C
• Second Numeral
• Final Letter

• M. ?TTILIVS
• XII
• ?
• X
• Either V or M

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The Nuceria Gate Graffiti

• Gladiator Name Attilius, Hilarus, Raecius, etc.
• First Roman Numeral Probably denotes the number
  of victories this gladiator has won.
• victoriae/victoriarum
• The Reversed C symbol for coronae
• Second Roman Numeral Number of coronae won
• This numeral never greater than first
• Final Letter M or V
• M stands for missus est reprieved (lost,
  but lived)?
• V stands for vicit he won
• Celadus at Pompeii as suspirium puellarum

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CIL iv 10236

• M ?TT / M ?TTILIVS I ? I V. / L R?ECIVS FELIX
  XII ? XII M
• M(arcus) Att(ilius) / M(arcus) Attilius
  (victoriae) I (coronae) I V(icit). / L(ucius)
  Raecius Felix / (victoriarum) XII (coronarum) XII
  M(issus est).
• Marcus Attilius. Marcus Attilius, victorious
  once, awarded a wreath once, won. Lucius Raecius
  Felix, victorious 12 times, awarded a wreath 12
  times, earned a reprieve.

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CIL iv 12037

• HIL?RVS NER XIV ? / XII V. / CREVNVS VII ? V M.
  / PRICEPS / NER XII ? XII? / V.
• Hilarus Ner(onianus) (victoriarum) XIV /
  (coronarum) / XII v(icit). / Creunus
  (victoriarum) VII (coronarum) V m(issus est). /
  Pri(n)ceps / Ner(onianus) (victoriarum) XII
  (coronarum) XII? / v(icit).
• Hilarus, from Nero's training school, victorious
  14 times, awarded a wreath 12 times, won.
  Creunus, victorious 7 times, awarded a wreath 5
  times, earned a reprieve. Princeps, from Nero's
  training school, victorious 12 times, awarded a
  wreath 12 (?) times, won.

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CIL iv 12038

• M ?TTILIVS T V. / HIL?RVS NER XIV ? XIII / M.
• M(arcus) Attilius t(iro) v(icit). / Hilarus
  Ner(onianus) (victoriarum) XIV (coronarum) XIII /
  m(issus est).
• Marcus Attilius as an amateur won. / Hilarus,
  from Nero's training school, victorious 14 times,
  awarded a wreath 13 times, earned a reprieve.

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The House of the Ceii

• Written into plaster walls
• Far more abbreviated
• Slightly different rubric
• Name
• Letter L lib, libr, libe
• Numeral
• V if winner
• opponent's (loser's) fate?

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CIL iv 8055

• OCE?NVS L XIII V. ?R?CINTVS L IIII.
• Oceanus l(iber) (victoriarum) XIII v(icit).
  Aracintus l(iber) (victoriarum) IIII (missus
  est).
• Oceanus, of free status, victorious 13 times,
  won. Aracintus, of free status, victorious 4
  times, earned a reprieve.

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CIL iv 8056

• SEVERVS L XIII. ?LB?NVS SC L XIX V.
• Severus l(iber) (victoriarum) XIII (missus
  est). Albanus sc(aeva) l(iber) (victoriarum) XIX
  v(icit).
• Severus, of free status, victorious 13 times,
  earned a reprieve. Albanus, left-hander, of free
  status, victorious 19 times, won.