Why read Graffiti and the Literary Landscape in Roman Pompeii?

Book cover of Graffiti and the Literary Landscape in Roman Pompeii

Book description

In this volume, Milnor considers how the fragments of textual graffiti which survive on the walls of the Roman city of Pompeii reflect and refract the literary world from which they emerged. Focusing in particular on the writings which either refer to or quote canonical authors directly, Milnor uncovers the…

Explore

Topics

Genres

History

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Graffiti and the Literary Landscape in Roman Pompeii as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Virginia Campbell

Author

Imagine re-creating the works of Shakespeare or Milton from the graffiti on the walls of Victorian England – impossible you’d say. But it is possible to find lines of the most famous poets of the Roman world scratched into the walls of Pompeii, and Milnor provides a systematic overview of how and why this literary re-production occurred, what it indicates about literacy and learning, and how differently the ancients viewed writing in public spaces.

From Virginia's list on Pompeii and what we know about this Roman city.