Charcoal graffiti believed to have been sketched by children uncovered at ancient Roman city
Drawings of gladiators believed to have been made by children inspired by watching battles at Pompeii’s amphitheatre are among the latest discoveries in the ruins of the ancient Roman city.
The charcoal drawings were found during excavations at I’Insula dei Casti Amanti, a cluster of homes in Pompeii’s archaeological park that opened to the public for the first time on Tuesday.
Other drawings found on a long wall include the outline of three small hands, two figures playing with a ball, a hunting scene of an animal that appears to be a boar, and a scene that depicts two boxers lying on the ground.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii’s archaeological park, said the drawings were probably done by one or more of the children who played in what was a courtyard before the city was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.
