2,000-year-old children’s drawings — of gladiators and hunters — found inside Pompeii
Archaeologists recently discovered a series of stick figures scrawled on the walls of Pompeii.
The drawings — made by children around 2,000 years ago — depict gladiators and hunters, according to a May 28 news release from the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
Unlike today’s parents, violence, as seen in gladiatorial games, would not have been viewed as inappropriate for children, park officials said.
The charcoal drawings were found during excavations of the ruins of a home on Via dell’Abbondanza, a road that runs through the city center.
Scaffolding found near the drawings indicates the area was under construction at the time of Mount Vesuvius’ famed eruption in 79 A.D., according to a separate news release from the park.
Although the home sports a lavish facade, its interior indicates that its owners were not wealthy.
Instead, there is an air of precariousness inside, park officials said.
The children of the home were likely left to their own devices for days at a time — unlike the offspring of well-to-do city residents, who would have been cared for by wet nurses and tutors.
The home has previously undergone several excavations, including in 1912, 1982 and 2005.
Via dell’Abbondanza, where the home was found, is the longest road in the city, and was once dotted by elite residences and shops, according to Pompeii Perspectives, an archaeological research site.
Numerous graffiti art has been found inside the ruins of the ancient city, including drawings of animals and quotes from popular poets, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
During ancient Roman times, graffiti, specifically in the form of words, was considered a respectable form of expression, according to the outlet.
Google Translate was used to translate news releases from the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 2:31 PM with the headline "2,000-year-old children’s drawings — of gladiators and hunters — found inside Pompeii."