graffiti, places and people from antiquity to modernity /
edited by Chloé Ragazzoli, Ömür Harmanşah, Chiara Salvador and Elizabeth Frood.
New York, NY :
Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,
2018.
xiii, 244 pages ;
25 cm.
Classical studies and archaeology
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The scribes' cave : graffiti and the production of social space in ancient Egypt circa 1500 BCE / C. Ragazzoli -- Christian graffiti in Egypt : case studies on the Theban mountain / A. Delattre -- Graffiti or monument? : inscription of place at Anatolian rock reliefs / Ö. Harmansah -- Tweets from antiquity : literacy, graffiti, and their uses in the towns and deserts of ancient Arabia / M. Macdonald -- Gezi graffiti : shout-outs to resistance and rebellion in contemporary Turkey / C. Gruber -- Gladiators, greetings, and poetry : graffiti in first century Pompeii / R. Benefiel -- A new look at Maya graffiti from Tikal / E. Olton -- Visitors' inscriptions in the Memphite pyramid complexes in ancient Egypt (c. 1543-1292 BC) / H. Navratilova -- Carving lines and shaping monuments : mortuary graffiti and Jews in the ancient Mediterranean / K. Stern -- Verses on walls in medieval China / G. Dudbridge -- Graffiti and the medieval margin / J. Rogers -- Graffiti under control : annotation practices in social book platforms / M. Jahjah.
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For most people the mention of graffiti conjures up notions of subversion, defacement, and underground culture. Yet, the term was coined by classical archaeologists excavating Pompeii in the 19th century and has been embraced by modern street culture: graffiti have been left on natural sites and public monuments for tens of thousands of years. They mark a position in time, a relation to space, and a territorial claim. They are also material displays of individual identity and social interaction. As an effective, socially accepted medium of self-definition, ancient graffiti may be compared to the modern use of social networks. This book shows that graffiti, a very ancient practice long hidden behind modern disapproval and street culture, have been integral to literacy and self-expression throughout history. Graffiti bear witness to social events and religious practices that are difficult to track in normative and official discourses. This book addresses graffiti practices, in cultures ranging from ancient China and Egypt through early modern Europe to modern Turkey, in illustrated short essays by specialists. It proposes a holistic approach to graffiti as a cultural practice that plays a key role in crucial aspects of human experience and how they can be understood.