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

2. Latin Graffiti Sometimes painted, sometimes etched into plaster walls
This one to the right is a caricature of the house dominus

3. 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 “Λ”
Principle of Economy:
abbreviations preferred; least amount of space for
maximum amount of information
“Interpuncts” for word separation
Mutual dependence of text and image

4. The Nuceria Gate Graffiti
Gate to Nuceria
Walls of tombs
contain graffiti
House of Ceii

5. The Nuceria Gate Graffiti
Basic Rubric:
Gladiator Name
Roman Numeral
Backward “C”
Second Numeral
Final Letter
M. ΛTTILIVS
XII כ X
Either “V” or “M”

6. 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

7. CIL iv 10236 M ΛTT / M ΛTTILIVS I כ I V. / L RΛECIVS FELIX XII כ 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.

8. CIL iv 12037
HILΛRVS NER XIV כ / XII V. / CREVNVS VII כ V M. / PRICEPS / NER XII כ X[II?] / 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) X[II?] / 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.

9. CIL iv 12038 M ΛTTILIVS T V. / HILΛRVS NER XIV כ 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.

10. 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?

11. CIL iv 8055 OCEΛNVS L XIII V. ΛRΛCINTVS 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.

12. CIL iv 8056 SEVERV[S] L XIII. ΛLBΛNVS SC L XIX V.
Severu[s] 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.