Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Buried and Scrawled Treasure

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.

10 comments:

  1. I love the petroglyph on Vancouver Island. I have seen the petroglyphs near Lake Ozette on the Washington coast. Amazing!

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    1. John, it's so interesting that petroglyphs can be found in so many places, if we know to look!

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  2. I remember being fascinated by this original post, Deb - thanks for reminding me! We have petroglyphs on one of our beaches near town here on Mitkof Island. love, sus

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    1. Sus, I will be looking for pictures soon on your blog! xoxo

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  3. This is so fascinating. That field hospital must be a wonderful place to wander through. So happy you 'dug' this post up!

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  4. Seth, glad you enjoyed it! You never know what a little digging will bring up :-)

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  5. 'graffiti house" would be a fascinating place to visit.

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  6. Thanks so much for your visit and kind words Deborah .
    This is a very interesting post. Loved the civil war "graffiti "
    Living in the big city I despise grafitti and all it stands for. To me it's not art but vandalism and the product of bored minds and the feeling of taking and not giving anything back. Oh well my early morning rant!
    Cheers!

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  7. Raylee, I plan on it...someday! Thanks for stopping by.

    Cynthia, not surprising that you like the civil war graffiti, it is antique after all!

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