The Writing on the Wall

Painted or inscribed texts can be found on the walls of almost every building in Pompeii, and caupona walls were no exception. These texts were generally written in Vulgar Latin, the form spoken by the common people, as opposed to the aristocratic Latin of writers such as Cicero and Vergil. A Roman who wanted to leave a message on a wall would generally carve it using a stylus (such as those pictured here) or paint it. Such painted texts are called dipinti, as opposed to carved graffiti.