Welcome to everybody who arrived by way of Seth's blog! I'm reposting a post about an arcane subject--
Antique Graffiti
Here in our Virginia hotbed of Revolutionary and Civil War vestiges we
often read about new archaeological finds. One restoration that caught
my eye in view of my fascination with graffiti turns out to be called "
Graffiti House" near Culpeper Virginia.
Someone's home was used as a field hospital for the Confederacy, later becoming a headquarters for
Federal forces. Soldiers from both sides wrote and drew
on the walls, creating a collection of
over 200 individual pieces that covers the upstairs rooms from floor to
ceiling.
Restorers are attempting to remove the paint and whitewash that
subsequent owners used to try to cover up the markings. They also need
to stabilize fragile plaster on the walls to preserve the installation
of caricatures, messages, autographs and inside jokes.
More antique graffiti: did you know that 18th and 19th century boors
messed up the Temple of Dendur? You can visit it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
photo via Thiago Santos
Gladiator graffiti from the
Colosseum
in Rome. Sorry about the photo quality, it was very difficult to
capture these images due to the low light in this area. Taken by my
husband, as I was most probably overwhelmed with the energy lingering
within the Colosseum walls, where so many humans and exotic animals lost
their lives, all in the name of entertainment. At least the masses were
fed with the spoils--rhinoceros, elephant and giraffe steaks were the
order of the day.
To see more Roman graffiti, go
here
Seal petroglyph near Sooke on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
