In Pompeii, long before the term “street art” was coined, residents were already etching jokes, insults, love notes, and explicit drawings onto city walls. Recently, an international research team utilized advanced digital imaging to uncover 79 previously unseen graffiti in a corridor connecting two theaters in the ancient city.
The project, known as “Bruits de couloir” (Corridor Whispers), was led by Louis Autin and Éloïse Letellier-Taillefer from Sorbonne University in Paris, along with Marie-Adeline Le Guennec from Université du Québec à Montréal. Letellier-Taillefer, an archaeologist focusing on Pompeii’s theaters, remarked to Le Guennec about the abundance of graffiti in the corridor. This observation led the two scholars to delve deeper into the significance of graffiti as a means of popular communication.
Through two rounds of fieldwork in 2022 and 2025, the team reexamined around 300 inscriptions on the corridor walls, unveiling 79 new discoveries, including a partially obscured declaration of love addressed to someone named Erato.
Erato, a name associated with love poetry in Greco-Roman mythology, symbolized “beloved” in ancient Rome, often given to freed individuals or slaves. The graffiti, written in colloquial language used by working-class Pompeii residents, sheds light on the lives of ordinary people in the ancient city.
The uncovered graffiti portray a range of scenes, from gladiator battles to animal sketches and phallic symbols, reflecting Roman cultural norms. Women are depicted in the inscriptions, offering insights into class and gender dynamics, with their presence hinting at access to education and societal roles.
The corridor’s walls serve as a canvas depicting daily life in Pompeii, showcasing the interactions of various social groups, including spectators, merchants, soldiers, and citizens. Utilizing Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), the research team was able to decipher previously illegible inscriptions by creating a 3D digital model from shadow patterns captured under shifting light.
As Pompeii’s Archaeological Park continues to unveil the city’s secrets, the corridor stands out as a crucial space in understanding the ancient world. The team plans to launch a digital platform in June, allowing the public to explore the corridor virtually and discover its 2,000-year-old messages firsthand.