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Circles are also very common and in many cases were made to ward off evil. Source: Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project

Mysteries of Medieval Graffiti in England Investigated

The Lincoln Medieval Graffiti Project was founded in England back in 2013 to record the plethora of medieval graffiti found in churches throughout the county. According to the BBC , the strange...
Pompeii graffiti. Source: Niklas / Adobe Stock.

Pompeii's Graffiti: An Ancient Form of Social Media (Video)

Archaeologist Dr. Catherine Huntley's work unveils the ancient walls of Pompeii as repositories of historical insights. In contemporary times, graffiti often carries a negative connotation,...
Electoral inscriptions have been found in an ancient house at Pompeii, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Source: Pompeii Sites

Electoral Inscriptions Found in Pompeii Suggest Indoor Political Campaigning

Mount Vesuvius truly keeps on giving, historically speaking. A fresh round of excavations have revealed political graffiti and a fascinating array of election inscriptions along the Via de Nola, one...
Ancient Egyptian graffiti, in this case Coptic graffiti, at the Temple of Isis in the Philae Temple Complex in Egypt. Source: Warren LeMary / CC0

3D Mapping Brings 2,000 years of Ancient Egyptian Graffiti into Focus

The oldest known graffiti in the world dates back to the ancient Egyptian civilization. It was carved and painted over 4,000 years ago on the walls of the temples and tombs. Ancient Egyptian graffiti...
The 13th century medieval Kelburn Castle in Scotland received a colourful graffiti makeover in 2007.	Source: Andreas Flohr / CC BY NC ND 2.0

Why is the 13th Century Kelburn Castle covered in Colorful Graffiti?

Kelburn Castle is one of the oldest castles still standing in Scotland. Located in Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Kelburn Castle has a rich history that dates back to the 13th century. Now, however, it is...
Researchers at the Tomb of David building, examining what they hope is the mark of Adrian von Bubenberg.	Source: IAA

Knight's Graffiti Shows Swiss Links With King David’s Tomb

A charcoal inscription has been identified at the alleged site of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Bearing the emblem of the Swiss family von Bubenberg, the Israel Antiquities Authority...
Composite of May’s top stories images. 	Source: Credited in article

A Run Down of May’s Top Ancient News Stories

The top breaking stories of May 2022 include: A primeval forest in a Chinese sinkhole, the first full DNA sequence of a Pompeii victim, the oldest fake eye found in Iran, another Roman penis...
This phallus has insulting Roman graffiti above it that was meant for another Roman soldier. The insult reads: “You shi**r!”	Source: Vindolanda Charitable Trust

Roman Graffiti Shows Carved Phallus With Insult Found at Vindolanda Fort

A sizable, engraved penis has been discovered at the Vindolanda Roman fort in England, with a clear insult carved above it. The Roman graffiti insult, aimed at another Roman soldier, reads: “You shi...
Archaeologists have deciphered what could be the origins of the Latin alphabet in graffiti found at the Temple of Hathor near the Serâbît el-Khâdim mines. Serâbît el-Khâdim in the background and the evolution of the letter “A” in the foreground. Source: Einsamer Schütze / CC BY-SA 3.0 & Till Nikolaus von Heiseler / CC BY 4.0

From an Ox to an “A”: The Ancient Egyptian Origins of the Latin Alphabet

As crazy as it sounds, it’s now well attested that the letter “A” started out its evolution as the Egyptian hieroglyph for an ox. But its truly mind-blowing transformation came when turquoise miners...
The surface of a petroglyph stone in the Indian Head area of Grand Bend National Park, where four vandals wrote their names and the date on December 26, 2021.					Source: National Parks Service

Big Bend National Park Petroglyphs Irreparably Damaged by Vandals

Big Bend National Park in Texas on the Mexican border is home to enormous diversity and crucial Native American history. Native Americans left behind many abstract geometric designs and petroglyphs (...
The poem preserved in a graffito from an upper-storey room in Cartagena Spain (2nd to 3rd century AD) is throwing light on the origins of poetry.

New Light On The Ancient Origins Of Poetry And Song

A Cambridge researcher has rewritten the history of the origins of song. A singular text has revealed modern poetry began hundreds of years earlier than was previously believed. A 2nd to 3rd century...
Vandals Deface ‘Birthing Rock,’ 1000-Year-Old Rock Art in Utah

Vandals Deface ‘Birthing Rock,’ 1000-Year-Old Rock Art in Utah

Utah has become a modern center of vandalism, where the socially untethered who live outside the confines of the law that most of us adhere to commit crimes against both new and old creations. Now, a...
Native American History Destroyed In Georgia’s Track Rock Gap

Native American History Destroyed In Georgia’s Track Rock Gap

The U.S. Forest Service has announced that vandals have systematically destroyed important pre-Colombian petroglyphs at historic sites in the southeastern Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forests,...
The dolmen of Faldouet is one of several Neolithic Jersey dolmens. It is a Neolithic passage grave located near St. Martin and a highlight for visitors to the island. Source: Lux / Adobe Stock

Vandals Drill into Neolithic Jersey Dolmen Looking for Quartz

A famous dolmen on the Channel Islands has been damaged. Vandals drilled into one of the supporting stones of the 6,000-year-old Stone Age monument. It is believed that they were looking for quartz...
Medieval Graffiti to Repel Witches and Evil Spirits Found In Britain

Medieval Graffiti to Repel Witches and Evil Spirits Found In Britain

In Britain, a mysterious discovery has been made in the ruins of a church in an abandoned medieval village. On some stones, archaeologists have found graffiti and some enigmatic marking. It is...
Representative selfie taken at the Colosseum , Rome  Source: Davide Angelini / Adobe Stock

Man Arrested For Vandalizing Rome’s Flavian Colosseum

The Flavian Amphitheater, better known as “The Colosseum,” is the world-famous ancient structure located in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, and it represents the largest Roman amphitheater...
A fragment of the 5th-century chalice etched with Christian symbols, unearthed at Vindolanda in Northumberland. Credit: The Vindolanda Trust

Holy Grail of Christian Graffiti Discovered On 5th Century Chalice

A lead chalice-cup etched with Christian iconography and letters from three languages has been discovered in remains of 5th-century church on Hadrian’s Wall in England, but what does it say?...
Examples of a king’s mark, person, and witch mark carved into trees in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. Source: New Forest National Park

Symbols of the Enchanted Forest? Witch and King’s Marks Carved into English Trees

How have these ancient markings carved into trees in the New Forest in Hampshire, including witch and king’s marks, gone unrecorded for so long? The Enchanted Forest of Symbolic Secrets Some over-...
Michael McDonagh, Head of National Monuments, inspecting the damage at Ballygawley, a famous Irish Neolithic site.          Source: Sligo Neolithic Landscapes

Irish Neolithic Sites At Risk From Vandals and Treasure Hunters

Irish Neolithic sites , and Stone Age monuments are being destroyed by treasure hunters , vandals, and visitors. Some of the tombs date back 5000 years and are among the oldest of their kind in...
Plymouth Rock covered in graffiti.    Source: WCVB Viewer

Historic Plymouth Rock Defaced With Spray Paint

One of America’s most revered and important landmarks has been defaced by vandals. Plymouth Rock was spray-painted with graffiti by so far unknown perpetrators. The monument was badly defaced, and a...
Vandals carved graffiti into a famous Maya temple, the Tikal Temple II pyramid in Guatemala. Source: Simon Dannhauer /Adobe Stock

Vandals Have Carved Initials on a World-Famous Maya Temple

A shocking case of vandalism has been revealed in Guatemala. Two men, believed to be tourists, etched some graffiti on one of the most remarkable Maya temples in all of Central America. They were...
Pictures posted on online of the vandals who damaged the Council Overhang cavern in Starved Rock Park in Illinois over the Labor Day holiday. Source: Daily Mail / Fair Use.

Hunt for Vandals Who Defaced Ancient Rock Formation

Authorities in the US state of Illinois are searching for two vandals who defaced a 450-million-year-old rock formation at Starved Rock State Park , which was a sacred Native American gathering place...
The graffiti at Tha Phae Gate, Chiang Mai Thailand.

Graffiti Vandals Slash At “The Diamond in the Crown of Thailand”

The so called “Mother of a jackass Liverpool backpacker” who is looking at ten stiff years inside a Thai prison for spray-painting 'Scouse Lee' on an 800-year-old fortress says she’s “embarrassed and...
1,500-Year-Old Graffiti reveals Gladiator Battles

1,500-Year-Old Graffiti reveals Gladiator Battles

The Italian word graffiti dates only to 1851, online sources say, but the practice of drawing and scribbling on walls and surfaces in public places dates back millennia. In fact, a Professor from...

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